EmPower is a brand name that refers to three different power outlets available on commercial airlines:
* 15-Volt, 75 Watt DC connector (now called EmPower Classic by the vendor)
* 5-Volt, 10 Watt USB power-only jacks
* 110-Volt, AC power jacks (some also have an EmPower USB jack)
Original 15-Volt EmPower Connector
15 volt
DC connector type found on many commercial
airlines designed to provide power to travelers' electronic devices. The system is limited to 75 watts.
[EmPower Product Descriptio]
www.astronics.com Accessed 2011-01-16 The use of a special connector is to prevent laptops charging at altitude and ensure that only approved adapters can be used.
Some airlines offer it only in business class or only in certain types of aircraft or flights. Travelers in the 2000s bought EmPower adapters, frequently from
duty-free shop
A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who ...
s at airports, to run laptops and other electronic equipment without using battery power.
Supporting airlines include:
* Some
Air France
Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...
flights
* Some
Air India flights
* Some
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
flights
* Some
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
flights
* Some
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
flights
* Some
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. flights
* Some
Virgin Atlantic flights
* Almost all
Alitalia flights
* Almost all
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...
flights
* Others (The
SeatGuru
SeatGuru.com was a website that featured aircraft seat maps, seat reviews, and a color-coded system to identify superior and substandard airline seats. It also featured information about in-flight amenities and airline specific information regardi ...
web site contains more detailed information on which flights support EmPower)
Adapters exist to connect EmPower plugs to
cigarette lighter receptacles and most EmPower power adapters come with these.
EmPower is a
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
registered initially by Primex Technologies (VA) and assigned to Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems,
Inc
Inc. or inc may refer to:
* Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation
* ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine
* Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band
* Indian National Congress, a political party in India
* I ...
in Kirkland, Washington, USA. Subsequently, the trademark has been expanded to include not just the