In-flight entertainment (IFE) providers for the airline industry have been negotiating with Apple to bring iTunes and the iTunes Music Store to each passenger's seat. According to Flight, airlines are hoping to strike a deal where passengers could use their frequent flyer miles to purchase and download music and videos to their iPods via a seat-back interface and dock.

Brad Foreman, vice-president and in-flight systems general manager for IFE provider Thales, commented: "We've had lots of discussions with Apple. The key is to get them to see the value of hosting iTunes on an aircraft."

The airlines see the iTMS as a prime opportunity to branch out into in-flight e-commerce, and have been asking for seat-back iTunes kiosks and iPod docks. They see flights as an ideal time to browse and purchase music.

IFE providers are already taking the first steps in making music downloads available, even without Apple's support. The companies are developing in-flight systems that require passengers to use their laptops to access music. What they really want, however, is an easy way to plug in an iPod and copy music to it.

Mr. Foreman hopes a deal with Apple can be worked out. "Is it a big enough market for them to be interested in?" he asked rhetorically. "I'd try to do it tomorrow if they said yes."