Virgin America, which expects to begin commercial flights in the U.S. market this spring, said it will be getting its in-flight video from EchoStar Communications.
Virgin America will offer customers pay-per-view movies, music channels (including the ability to compile individual audio playlists), games, and even a meals-on-demand service.
The deal is not exclusive; Virgin America said it anticipates announcing additional content relationships in the near future.
EchoStar’s executive suite happens to be stocked with people who have spent time working for major airlines, including CEO Carl Vogel and CFO Bernard Han.
Given that it’s not dependent on wires or terrestrial broadcasting, DBS is particularly suited for in-flight entertainment, and DBS companies have been slowly signing up airline clients. The Dish Network had been available on Song, which last year was absorbed into Delta. DirecTV in November cut a deal with JetBlue to show several Viacom channels. DirecTV also serves Frontier Airlines, and has supplied video for Alaska Airlines as well.