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Singapore Airlines Introduce Mobile Cabin Services Solution

February 16, 2015
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Other Providers of Cabin Services Solutions - AirCrew Connect Singapore Airlines have introduced a new, tablet-based mobile app for cabin crew to improve and enhance customer services.

The app, TCS CrewCollab will automate and streamline many of the inflight processes that the cabin crew deal with in the air, such as processing customer flight lists, flight information and crew information, which traditionally has been handled on paper.

The entire system will increase efficiency throughout the cabin and improve passenger experience through enhanced customer services.

Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Cabin Crew, Mr Marvin Tan said, “We are very pleased to collaborate with our long-standing partner Tata Consultancy Services to develop TCS CrewCollab Solution. The application is vital to how we will continue to improve our operations and enhance our customer servicing on board. We look forward to developing the application further in partnership with TCS, to enable our crew to offer a more personalised customer experience and meet our customers’ evolving travel needs.”

“Digital forces like mobile, social and big data analytics are creating tremendous possibilities for businesses globally. TCS CrewCollab Solution harnesses these digital forces in the hands of airline crew to deliver enriched customer experience,” said Ms S Sukanya, VP and Global Head, Travel Transportation and Hospitality Unit, TCS. “Singapore Airlines is one of our most valuable and long standing clients in the region and this partnership brings an industry-validated, ready-to-deploy solution to the airline industry.”

LATAM Group Upgrade Cabin Services for Enhanced Passenger Experience

January 12, 2015
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Cabin Services Solutions ProvidersLatin American LATAM Airlines Group has announced that it will invest $100 million on cabin services tech projects to help provide an enhanced passenger experience.

Plans include a Smartphone app for passengers to manage their travel arrangements, improvements to flight status systems that is aimed at giving passengers greater access to flight information and, through a deal signed with YouTube, passenger access to popular channels integrated into the in-flight entertainment system.

In addition, the launch of LAN & TAM Entertainment has been announced – a wireless IFE system that will allow passengers to watch TV, movies and video using their personal mobile devices on board.

Although WiFi connectivity is not yet part of the offering, LATAM Group have revealed that they have been exploring the possibility for a number of years and their eventual aim is to include WiFi in their free package.

Emteq and Haeco Partnership for Cabin Services

December 7, 2014
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Worldwide Cabin Services ProvidersIt was announced at MEBA this month that Emteq, U.S. aviation products providers and China-based Haeco Private Jet Solutions have partnered to allow Haeco to deliver Emteq’s eConnect portfolio of IFE, Cabin Services and connectivity package, who will integrate the systems for cabin completion and refurbishment clients.

Haeco claim that the first Boeing business jet based in Asia has contracted them to engineer and integrate an eConnect Router and wireless IFE system. The install project will integrate with the existing cabin services package as an add-on, effectively upgrading the system and providing a cost-effective solution.

As passenger demands grow for greater bandwidth and seamless on-board connectivity, more and more providers of Cabin Services find themselves continually pushing the envelope with the latest technology at the most competitive prices.

Personal devices play an important role within the Cabin Services industry today as satellite communications technology delivers the reliability that is required on board the modern business jet.

Singapore Airlines Passenger Left with Huge Wi-Fi Bill

November 18, 2014
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Cost-Effective Solutions for Inflight Wi-Fi ConnectivityA Canadian passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight left us all with a valuable lesson last week after he racked up a whopping $1,171 bill for Wi-Fi connectivity on a flight from London to Singapore.

Mr Jeremy Gutsche was stunned to receive the bill after purchasing a 30 megabyte internet plan for less than $30. He unknowingly used his allowance and although aware that he would be responsible for charges beyond the 30MG usage, was shocked to realise that viewing 155 pages and uploading a PowerPoint document landed him with such a huge bill.

The provider of the onboard Wi-Fi connectivity service for Singapore Airlines, Swiss-based OnAir, argued that the charges offer ‘complete transparency’, and give passengers the choice to end sessions when charges reach a certain amount and graphic data usage displays consumption.

Mr Gutsche said, “Just because someone agrees to terms and conditions doesn’t mean those terms are ethical. I think the overage model is excessive and I can imagine someone like my mom, or a family, or a backpacker going aimlessly over.”

According to Euroconsult, satellite and communications consulting firm, just 6% of flight passengers use in-flight services – perhaps for this very reason. The demand for in-flight provision in the modern world is increasing and cost-efficient solutions are becoming a growing part of the competitive side of the business for airlines worldwide.

Rockwell Collins Plan for One-Stop-Airline-Shop with Cabin Connect

October 5, 2014
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Cabin Connect for Comprehensive SolutionsRockwell Collins, through its acquisition of ARINC Inc. last year plan to become a one-stop-shop for airlines for IFE and on-board connectivity solutions.

Cabin Connect, operating over Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, provides Wi-Fi and inflight connectivity on a global scale. Next year, via its recently-finalised agreement with Inmarsat to become a Value Added Reseller for Global Xpress – GX Aviation – Rockwell Collins will focus on Cabin Connect retrofitting, urging customers to begin now with Cabin Connect on the lower bandwidth of L-band SwiftBroadband and upgrade to Ka-band ‘when you and your customers are ready’.

Cabin Connect, with its cabin connectivity solution, plus avionics and ACARS datalink services for the flight deck, could deliver a complete package to airlines. Huy Tran, director of marketing and business development for Rockwell Collins said, “There’s many companies who have a single product line, not many companies actually have the full breadth. The companies that are going to be successful are the ones that have all the product lines, because airlines don’t want to shop around for various components.”

Rockwell Collin effectively dropped out of the IFE marketplace in 2006, but the introduction of their new PAVES system and subsequent MoU with Hubei Ali Jiatai, Chinese aircraft seat-makers to include PAVES in next-gen Boeing 737’s for Chinese carriers has placed them firmly back in action. The plans for the ARINC Cabin Connect suite will cement their stake in the current and future market of IFE.

In a market where there is close competition, Rockwell Collins is confident that Cabin Connect will fulfill IFE connectivity promises and deliver a comprehensive solution for global airlines.

ARINC Cabin Connect Suite Enhanced by Rockwell Collins

September 16, 2014
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Enhanced Cabin Services with Rockwell CollinsFollowing a recent GX Aviation Added Value Reseller deal with Inmarsat, Rockwell Collins have announced enhancements to their ARINC Cabin Connect suite, the company’s leading in-flight connectivity for cabin services platform. The enhancements will benefit both passengers and airlines as the latest Ka-band services bring greater possibilities to the aviation industry.

Rockwell Collins will use the increased bandwidth and high-speed connectivity to offer real-time TV and TV on-demand in addition to the launch of a new capability that will give passengers the opportunity to use mobile phones onboard to send and receive, where approved, SMS messages and make voice calls over the internet.

Airlines will notice an immediate benefit with Cabin Connect, as the elimination of the need for separate on-board cell phone and Wi-Fi network equipment will significantly reduce weight and installation costs, while allowing extra potential for value-added services.

“Our knowledge of how communications platforms work, combined with our systems integration expertise, enables Rockwell Collins to create solutions that meet the specific needs of our global aviation customers,” said Michael DiGeorge, vice president of international and global airports for Rockwell Collins. “Expanding our ARINC Cabin Connect capabilities through Inmarsat’s high-speed service will provide airlines and their customers with new services designed to meet the ever-growing demand for accessing information and in-flight entertainment.”

Another benefit in addition to passenger connectivity using Cabin Connect will be the new tools designed to enhance airline efficiency. Rockwell Collins’ information management capabilities feature a dashboard that will allow airlines to access monitoring for system-critical elements including cabin applications utilisation and fleet information.

“Because we offer nose-to-tail solutions, we have a tremendous amount of valuable information we can provide to airlines about their aircraft,” said DiGeorge. “With this dashboard, we are putting that information into an easy-to-use format that helps airlines to improve their operational decision making.”

Cabin Services to be Outsourced by Finnair

July 8, 2014
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Other Cabin Services ProvidersTo help reduce operational costs, Finland airline, Finnair has announced its decision to outsource cabin services for 20 long and short-haul flights over the next two years. It is not yet clear about the related impact this will have upon current personnel.

This is not breaking news, as Finnair have been finalising cost-saving measures since March, particularly in the area of cabin services. Finnair has had a cost reduction program in place since 2011, aiming to reduce operational expenses by 18 million EUR. The options include personnel reductions including redundancy, temporary lay-off, hours reductions or a combination of all these options. The cabin services outsourcing plan will go ahead and will be trialled in order to determine the best course of action moving forward for the airline. Finnair will also examine the cost implications of setting up a subsidiary to take over the cabin services functions.

Ville Iho, Chief Operating Officer for Finnair made the following statement, “Finnair has once more met with representatives of the Finnish Cabin Crew Union (SLSY) in an effort to find a common cost reduction solution that would make it possible to avoid outsourcing. SLSY offered 2.9 million EUR in permanent, instant savings, as well as 4.8 million EUR savings that would be achieved within a 20-year time period. This is mainly the same as SLSY’s previous offer. In addition, as a new element, SLSY proposed approximately 4 million EUR temporary savings for a period of one year. In exchange, SLSY required two year protection against lay-offs. Unfortunately, this is too far from the savings that Finnair requires. We cannot continue with our current cost structure, which is why we need to make instant, permanent changes to it. We proposed a solution that would see 12 million EUR of the cost reductions implemented immediately and the remaining 6 million EUR over a longer period of time. Even this compromise did not lead to an agreement.

He added that partnership negotiations for outsourcing are proceeding well, with potential partners in Finland, Europe and Asia. No rushed decisions will be made and careful negotiation and planning will be ensured.

Satellite Passenger Connectivity Services Selected by Thaicom

June 16, 2014
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Passenger Connectivity Communications Providers

Thaicom, a leading satellite communications provider in Asia Pacific, has selected Hughes Network Systems to deliver satellite broadband technology for passenger connectivity for SE Asian airlines in partnership with Global Eagle Entertainment.

“Thaicom has expanded our In-flight Connectivity (IFC) offering as a part of our Mobility Services, utilizing the latest satellite-based communications technologies that have extensively served sea-air-land connectivity targeting customers in Thailand and Southeast Asia,” said Dr. Sakon Kittivatcharapong, senior vice president of Ground System Operations at Thaicom PLC. “With In-flight Connectivity our airline partners will gain significant advantages by reducing operational costs while adding more value to their services.”

As passenger connectivity in the rear of the plane is becoming as increasingly important to airline operations as the connectivity in the cockpit, airlines are feeling the pressure to provide end-to-end cabin services. Satellite networks partnerships give seamless passenger connectivity for in-flight broadband and in-flight entertainment at costs that are becoming more and more competitive. With the rules beginning to relax about the use of personal tablets in the cabin, and the bandwidth capabilities growing, we can soon envisage the marketplace competition getting decidedly heavier.

EU In-flight Connectivity to be Delivered by Inmarsat

June 6, 2014
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In-flight Connectivity Solutions ProvidersBritish satellite communications company, Inmarsat has announced its intention to deliver high-speed, EU-wide in-flight connectivity with a unique integrated telecommunications network including an order for a new s-band satellite, Europasat.

“We believe that the same in-flight connectivity opportunity exists in Europe and that, with the support of EU telecoms regulators, Inmarsat can rapidly bring to market unique, high speed aviation passenger connectivity services to meet this market demand on an EU-wide basis,” said Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce.

Inmarsat capabilities already include seamless coverage via Global Xpress and will place them ahead of the competition for in-flight connectivity for passengers.

Widespread interest is being shown by major airlines and passengers could soon be looking forward to the same connectivity that is currently only enjoyed by the business aviation community, with the deployment of Europe’s first 4G broadband network.

Currently, the company are working on shared system to reduce initial costs in partnership with Hellas-Sat, a non-competing European satellite operator and Thales Alenia Space for the construction of a satellite on a shared basis. Europasat will also support the next-gen emergency network services for public protection and disaster relief.

The aviation network deployment, planned for the end of 2016, will be enabled by Inmarsat’s current existing authorisation to operate integrated satellite and terrestrial communications in 30MHz of S-band frequencies spanning the 28 Member States of the European Union. The licensing process has already begun with EU member states and Inmarsat has received strong support for its application from a high number of EU telecommunications regulators. It is hoped that a consistent regulatory foundation can be accomplished quickly in order to facilitate the swift implementation of the services for the benefit of businesses and passengers across the EU.

Cabin Communications Training for Flight Crews

May 8, 2014
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Leading Cabin Services ProvidersFlight crews and maintenance personnel will now be able to receive cabin communications training from Satcom Direct in a partnership with FlightSafety at the Teterboro Learning Centre in an expansion of their current training program in Georgia.

The aim is to provide cabin communications equipment training in a demonstration of how the satellite and equipment functions and operates in order for cabin crews to better assist passengers with the operation of the IFE systems and for maintenance crews to learn to troubleshoot.

“Students will have a hands-on experience just like they would in the aircraft,” said Scott Hamilton, Satcom Direct chief strategy officer. “They’ll learn how to optimize computers and mobile devices for satellite internet and voice communications.”

Using the very latest equipment from Inmarsat and Iridium, in addition to the Satcom Direct systems, students will learn how to deal with inoperative equipment whilst in-flight, enabling minor issues to be ironed out with minimal disruption to the service.

Cabin communications providers offer seamless connectivity for passengers and crew with Internet access for in-flight entertainment.