Emirates' Ice Has A Cool 1,000 No.1 Hit Singles
Passengers travelling on one of Emirates' ICE-equipped aircraft can now choose from more than 1,000 No. 1 pop hits that
have topped the UK charts since records were first launched.
Emirates' own inflight ICE (information, communications, entertainment) system offers more than 500 channels of movies,
TV entertainment, audio and games. It also offers passengers the ability to communicate via SMS and email, direct from
their seatbacks.
Now the ICE system, introduced in Emirates' Airbus A340-500 aircraft from December 2003, provides passengers with the
unique ability to select and listen to any of the UK No.1 hits ever - a feature which is proving very popular with
passengers.
Mike Simon, Emirates' Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, said: "We have received rave reviews for our
latest ICE feature - the UK No. 1 hits."
The ICE system is now equipped on 20 per cent of Emirates' fleet, including all Airbus A340-500s, four Boeing 777-200s,
and the two Boeing 777-300 ERs which joined the fleet just last month. Airbus A340-500 aircraft operate the
Auckland-Sydney-Dubai route and the Christchurch-Melbourne-Dubai service, and the Boeing 777-300 ERs will operate the
new Auckland-Sydney-Bangkok-Dubai service from the beginning of May.
All Emirates aircraft in the future will feature the 500-plus channel ICE system, and the airline is investing in
retrofitting many existing aircraft.
The No.1 hit range runs the entire gamut from the first-ever U.K. hit single, 'Here in my Heart' sung by Al Martino,
which smashed the chart on November 14,1952, to the 1000(superscript: th) No.1 hit, the classic Elvis Presley
double-A-side featuring 'I got Stung' & 'One Night', which did the same on February 5, 2005. Significantly, this was Elvis' twentieth UK No.1 hit and marked
the double occasion the single was released on vinyl in the UK.
Movies on ICE during April include 45 of the latest Hollywood releases and 28 all time classic movies including all
three Lord of the Rings films and both Kill Bill volumes. Passengers can also choose to watch Gone with the Wind, which,
with a runtime of just under four hours, is perhaps the longest film ever shown on an aircraft. For younger flyers there
are 25 Disney films, including most of the classics.
With more than 50 Tv channels to choose from, including fourteen comedy channels alone, passengers are kept entertained
throughout their journey. In the Sport Tv section, Emirates has recently added channels dedicated to horseracing and
sailing - to mark the airline's sponsorship of these sports.
The audio section offers music from around the world ? more than 6,000 tracks of almost every genre imaginable.
Categories also include recent CD releases, essential albums and audio books. There is also a comprehensive collection
of classical music and stand-up comedy.
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