Virgin Atlantic has once again teamed up with the Panasonic Avionics Corporation in a long term agreement which will see the electronics giant supply the airline with its eXPhone communications system and its eX2 in-flight entertainment product. The award winning technology is due to be fitted to all Airbus A330s in the Virgin fleet.

Once up and running the system will allow passengers to send and receive emails and texts as well as make phone calls from their own mobile devices. The added functionality of the eX2 in-flight entertainment package means that passengers will be delivered a much more interactive experience.

The system allows viewers to make a playlist for the flight as well as review and rate the movies they watch. Cast and crew interviews will also be available and the whole package will make searching for a particular film much easier.

Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive, Steve Ridgeway, said that the new systems would continue the airline’s reputation for innovation when it came to supplying passengers with in-flight entertainment. He added that it was Virgin Atlantic who first came up with the idea of putting individual screens on the back of seats almost two decades ago. He predicted that the new Panasonic systems would once again set a standard which other airlines would try to follow.

Panasonic Avionics chief executive officer, Paul Margis, said that he was pleased that the relationship with Virgin was ongoing. He added that the alliance with the airline encouraged Panasonic to keep pushing the boundaries of what might be possible.