Consumer expectations can change almost daily. Mine do. As I boarded
my flight from Toronto to Vancouver last Saturday, I looked expectantly
(hopefully, eagerly, and, in the end, disappointedly) at the seatback in
front of me. The last several flights I'd taken with Air Canada had
tempted me with a piece of cardboard on the seatback promising great
wonders - okay, moderate wonders in this day and age, but wonders
nonetheless. Hallelujah, I said. I can't wait (and I still can't,
notwithstanding what I'm about to say). Though I've never experienced
Air Canada's personal video-on-demand VOD offering, and though I was
previously reasonably content to watch video on the shared screens of
the airplane -- or enjoy the personal-choice viewing experience
offered by my the media potpourri stored on my laptop, my expectations
had now been heightened - and came crashing down. Yet even as I
contemplated what this new on-demand-video-meets-commuter/vacationer
world might offer, I found myself already expecting further
disappointment in the offering - without even experiencing it. Will it
allow me to play the CDs, DVDs or MP3s I brought with me? I doubt it.
Will it let me use it as a computer monitor for my laptop? (And would
my laptop battery actually last long enough for that to matter, anyway,
since there's no power outlet to be seen here in economy class - though
maybe that comes with the VOD experience?)
And just what entertainment offering can I expect? Will it be the same selection that I see on long-haul flights today - just more of it? I've never been a fan of Friends, or a regular viewer of Will and Grace (except on airplanes, as it happens). And there are many movies I've only seen (and would only ever see) on airplanes - and some of those multiple times.
That day, I exalted once again to my wife the wonders of being able to check in for my flight before I left my house. I still love doing it - even though it's now against my better judgement. I once had to cancel a trip the night before an early morning departure but, being the early-adopter-with-all-its-perils consumer, I'd checked in 12 hours before the flight. Did you know that your options become severely limited once you've checked in - even if you haven't left home yet? Anyway, enough about my check-in highs and lows. Back to the personal media experience... as is often the case, my expectations as a consumer changed that day - and the disappointing reality is that I never got to enjoy an unjaded experience of the latest-and-greatest offering from the world of aviation because my expectations were given the opportunity to soar higher than the ability of the world around me to meet them. My reality will never catch up with my dreams.
Thankfully, I could take comfort in watching, on my trusty old laptop, the Hill Street Blues Season 1 DVD I brought with me. And 25 years after it came out I still believe this is the best TV series ever and it stands the test of time remarkably well.
And just what entertainment offering can I expect? Will it be the same selection that I see on long-haul flights today - just more of it? I've never been a fan of Friends, or a regular viewer of Will and Grace (except on airplanes, as it happens). And there are many movies I've only seen (and would only ever see) on airplanes - and some of those multiple times.
That day, I exalted once again to my wife the wonders of being able to check in for my flight before I left my house. I still love doing it - even though it's now against my better judgement. I once had to cancel a trip the night before an early morning departure but, being the early-adopter-with-all-its-perils consumer, I'd checked in 12 hours before the flight. Did you know that your options become severely limited once you've checked in - even if you haven't left home yet? Anyway, enough about my check-in highs and lows. Back to the personal media experience... as is often the case, my expectations as a consumer changed that day - and the disappointing reality is that I never got to enjoy an unjaded experience of the latest-and-greatest offering from the world of aviation because my expectations were given the opportunity to soar higher than the ability of the world around me to meet them. My reality will never catch up with my dreams.
Thankfully, I could take comfort in watching, on my trusty old laptop, the Hill Street Blues Season 1 DVD I brought with me. And 25 years after it came out I still believe this is the best TV series ever and it stands the test of time remarkably well.
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