Cup mania continues at 30,000ft as Etihad screens World Cup soccer

All 64 games will be transmitted live at 30,000 feet on the airline’s modern, wide-bodied fleet of planes by IMG Media using Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art interactive inflight entertainment system, E-box, powered by Panasonic technology.
The E-box screens are installed in seats for every class of cabin – first, business and economy – so for flying football fans, no-one need miss a goal being scored.
The World Cup kicks off today (Thursday 12 June) with host nation Brazil taking on Croatia in Sao Paulo. The final will be played on Sunday 13 July in Rio de Janeiro when the global television audience for this single match alone is estimated to reach more than one billion people.
Chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartnersaid: “The FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most exciting sporting event in the world and I’m delighted that all of our guests will be able to watch every match while they fly with us on their long-haul business or holiday flights. I hope that they sit back, relax and enjoy the great football action.”
Etihad Airways’ non-stop daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Sao Paulo have been in operation since June and there has been great demand from British, Dutch and Belgian expatriates living in the UAE capital and connecting markets because their national teams play matches in the Brazilian city in the next two weeks.
Etihad Airways employs 49 of Brazilian nationals as cabin crew, many of whom will work on board flights between Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo during the World Cup.
The airline operates an Airbus A340-500 ultra-long range aircraft on the route and offers 3,360 seats a week in a three-class configuration.