Genius: Aeroflot Offers Language Courses Onboard

Intro

Russia has surprised me in a lot of ways in the past 9 days I have spent here. Whether it’s about how clean the streets are, or how unbelievably amazing Yandex Maps is compared to Google (they list prices for massages on there and compares them: whatttt), we in the US are living in the past… 

However, earlier today, I was flying on an Aeroflot A321 from Moscow to Krasnojarsk when I came across something that left me bewildered, and wondering why more airlines don’t do this… 

I have had some really enjoyable flights on Aeroflot

Language Courses 

Once we hit 10,000 feet, I logged into the Aeroflot entertainment portal to check out the selection of movies and TV shows that they had onboard (A320s do not have IFE). Selecting the drop-down menu in the top left of the page, I came across this small button that says, “E-Study”. For a second, I was confused what the heck that would mean, until I clicked on it and saw this: 

This is genius Aeroflot

Truly makes me wonder why more airline do not do this

Not only were there documentaries surrounding the history of Russia (cool), there were multiple videos teaching you the basics of different languages, and videos testing if you know your general knowledge facts. 

Why Don’t More Airlines Do This?

I have flown well over 150 airlines now in my life, and this is one of the first times in recent memory that I have come across something like this. Flat out, this is genius. Many people that I know try to learn a few phrases before landing somewhere, and with no wifi on their planes, this is the perfect way to do so… 

Now I wonder, would it realistically be that hard to add this to airlines worldwide? Whether you are flying British Airways to Singapore, Brazil, Ghana, or wherever, imagine being able to learn whatever language in the world while on a plane. Additionally, what if airlines took it a step further, and children could test their math, geography, and history knowledge? What if a carrier in the USA partnered with Duolingo?? Perhaps I will then stop getting asked if “London is in England, or if England is in London”. Hmm…

Aeroflot: I truly commend you for this genius innovation, albeit without having wifi 🥴…

Final Thoughts

Aeroflot really left me flabbergasted today after I came across their IFE. Most airlines around the world tend to lean towards relaxing content, while Aeroflot was offering language courses for Hindi, Spanish, Russian, English, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and French. Not only that, they have guided meditations, lectures on psychology, Cartoonogram, and ‘improve your spelling’. Education? Sign me up. United and Delta: you are falling behind here.