Kiosks Cue Up DVDs For Fliers
By Salina Khan, USA TODAY Renting movies in airports is helping some bored travelers make time fly. Travelers can watch the latest flicks between flights or in flight by renting digital video disk (DVD) movies and portable players from InMotion Pictures kiosks in four U.S. airports. For $10 a day, renters get a movie, a portable laptop-size player and a headset. Additional movies can be rented for $4, and an extra headset for $2.50 a day. Travelers that carry laptops with DVD playing capability can rent movies for a daily rate of $5 each. Ari Silverman, an investment banker at Chase Securities in New York, recently killed time at Seattle-Tacoma airport by watching Mission Impossible. ""It's tough for me to do my work while traveling because a lot of my work is confidential,"" Silverman says. The Jacksonville, Florida-based company opened its first site last February and plans on expanding to 30 airports by the end of 2000. Renting for on-board viewing is a problem for some travelers now because movies must be returned to one of the five InMotion Pictures kiosks. Renters can choose from about 170 movies - comedy, drama, action, horror or children's films. DVD players and movies are also for sale. Kiosks are open up to 16 hours a day year round. First-time customers need to establish a renter's profile by providing their name, address, phone number, photo ID and credit card. Profiles can be registered at www.inmotionpictures.com. InMotion Pictures Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Freedman says providing quick service for travelers is the greatest challenge. ""Customer service is a tough thing to do because we have a lot of business travelers that want to go, go, go,"" Freedman says. In six months, renters will be able to save time by reserving movies at InMotion's Web site. They can call 1 877-DVD-TO-GO now. Disc players come with instructions and a 24-hour customer service number. The portable mini-movie theaters are a hit with frequent business travelers who have already seen the pictures playing on planes and with children bored with adult movies, he says. The company may be heading for some competition, though. Last month American Airlines became the first carrier to make DVD inflight video players available on some of its first class, international flights. Reported by USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com Copyright 1999/WIRES PC/)