Biometrics are Key in Today’s Airline Strategies

The Opening Sessions of APEX had several ‘C’ level airline representatives discuss their perspectives on what has made their airlines successful. Delta Air Lines CEO, Ed Bastian, stated that Delta, “-could never compete on price alone, so we needed to find a way to distinguish ourselves from the competition.” The airline has looked to improve their passenger experience through the use of biometrics. Delta passengers can enroll in CLEAR, allowing them to use biometric iris and fingerprint recognition instead of ID documents. He also said that 50% of the airline’s revenue comes from the Main Cabin, so the economy class customer is “just as important” as those who travel in the Delta One Suites! In keeping with that philosophy, as of November 1, 2019 all international economy travelers flights longer than 6 hours will receive a welcome cocktail, hot towel service during the flight and mix-and-match meal options.

Biometrics are also playing a significant part in JetBlue’s strategy. COO Joanna Geraghty’s presentation focused on how the airline is seeking to make travel less stressful by smoothing out the airport experience for their travelers. “If you could walk right through check-in to security and on to the gate – that could revolutionize the airport experience for the traveler!” Geraghty acknowledges there are challenges to face when it comes to passengers privacy, but so far the number of travelers who have participated in the biometric check-in options has been overwhelming. JetBlue’s focus has been to offer the biometric solution to the traveling public without a fee to participate in the program.

Virgin Atlantic’s CEO Shai Weiss said the company has long-term ambitions to double their size, becoming the second flag carrier of the UK. Virgin is currently in the first hear of their three-year strategy dubbed Velocity, and the carrier is currently focusing on transforming the traveling experience by focusing on that ‘warm and fuzzy feeling’. For Virgin it is all about customer satisfaction scores and Weiss said, “It’s all about heart and that is the thing that really differentiates Virgin – it’s our special touch.”

Alex Wilcox, Co-Founder and CEO of JSX was the next to address the audience. He said that JSX is the fastest growing airline in North America. In 2018 JSX flew 1,000 flights a month, in 2019 they are averaging 2,400 flights per month and they are forecasting 4,000 flights per month in 2020. The regional jet service that allows 30 passengers to enjoy a ‘private aircraft style’ experience was launched in 2016 as JetSuiteX and has a fleet of Embraer 135s. JSX is also the launch airline for SmartSky Networks’ high speed air-to-ground connectivity product.

The biometrics theme continued on through Jeffrey Goh CEO, Star Alliance’s presentation as well. Goh said that their mantra is quite simple: “We want to make sure the passenger connects, and in fact, connects quite well.” To facilitate this, the alliance is looking at the potential for passenger biometric data interchange between their airline members. As a result, the Star Alliance has partnered with NEC Corporation in an effort to develop a platform and a frequent flyer app to facilitate a seamless travel experience. Goh said that they recognize the critical importance that the biometric data remains with the passenger and that they will seek consent from passengers at specific biometric touchpoints (check-in and boarding) for use of their personal information.

In the next issues of IFExpress we will be covering data that we discovered at the APEX EXPO in Los Angeles and will try to keep our readers abreast of new trends and technology. Here are a few of the technologies we will be tracking: new IFEC developments like portable systems, new EFBs, and battery/aircraft powered IFE with Bluetooth and RF connectivity. We will also be addressing plastic free aviation cabin solutions, new power delivery, new digital platforms and inflight TV, lighting innovations and entertainment content developments. Of note are new studies on passenger entertainment requirements and changes, as well as, IEEE 802.11ac wireless features with cognitive hot spot technologies. We were also excited about future smaller aircraft IFE and and inflight experiences with 4K video. So there is a lot to look forward to over the next few weeks!

---

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Apple AirPod fans will like the new development from AirFly (AirFly | Bluetooth transmitter for Apple AirPods, Wireless Headphones – Twelve South). Yep, it is a wireless earphone adapter that connects to the audio output on the airplane IFE. It is not the only device to adapt but the writers say it is the best. How to Use AirPods to Listen to In-Flight Movies and, here’s a video on the application.
Amazon.com: Twelve South Airfly Wireless Transmitter | Connect Airpods & Wireless Headphones to Headphone Jacks at Gyms, On Airplane Entertainment Systems, and with Nintendo Switch: Cell Phones & Accessories We were curious if other headphones we like would work, so, we asked Hratch Astarjian at BOSE and he said: “This seems to simply be a Bluetooth dongle. Based on the specs I saw on Amazon, our Bluetooth headphones will work just fine. Of course, the headphones will simply reproduce the audio quality that’s coming through the IFE system which, as we both know, can sometimes be mediocre. And there’s still the challenge of having a seat jack that’s not working properly – but that’s another problem altogether.”

---

SITAONAIR

Singapore Airlines is able to keep its customers connected through SITAONAIR’s high-speed, reliable and advanced inflight connectivity portal, Internet ONAIR, powered by Link ONAIR over Inmarsat’s GX Aviation satellite network. The live broadcast truly demonstrated how SITAONAIR supports the airline in providing ‘always-on’, reliable connectivity for passengers who need to keep in contact with work and loved ones.

As a long-standing SITAONAIR customer, Singapore Airlines is committed to providing best-in-class inflight connectivity. The airline adopted SITAONAIR’s Internet ONAIR and Mobile ONAIR services in 2017, which are designed to provide super-fast and uninterrupted connection over land or sea.

---

INMARSAT
Inmarsat announced that its GX Aviation inflight broadband solution has entered commercial service with leading low-cost airline AirAsia. The airline is currently offering GX Aviation to passengers onboard a number of initial aircraft through its RedBeat Ventures subsidiary, ROKKI, marking a significant upgrade to their inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) experience. To celebrate the occasion, passengers are being offered a free trial on GX Aviation-equipped aircraft from today until 30 September 2019. The service integrates with the airline’s entertainment and e-commerce platform, allowing passengers to access a variety of free entertainment, music, games, news and shopping using their personal mobile devices. It will be rolled out across AirAsia’s Airbus A320 and A330 fleet over the next year. AirAsia is the latest airline to launch commercial service with GX Aviation, powered by the world’s first and only globally available broadband network. It will also benefit from major upcoming enhancements to Inmarsat’s GX network, with additional capacity being introduced by three new GX payloads, which are scheduled to launch in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In addition, Inmarsat recently signed landmark agreements to develop a pioneering new generation of GX satellites, which represent a transformative step-change in inflight broadband capabilities. These include the ground-breaking GX7, 8 & 9 satellites, which feature thousands of dynamically-formed beams that direct capacity over high-demand areas, and the innovative new GX10A & 10B Arctic payloads, which will be the only broadband satellite service dedicated to this region.

---

AIRBUS
The world’s passenger and freighter aircraft fleet is set to more than double from today’s nearly 23,000 to almost 48,000 by 2038 with traffic growing at 4.3% annually, also resulting in a need for 550,000 new pilots and 640,000 new technicians. By 2038, of the forecast 47,680 fleet, 39,210 are new and 8,470 remain from today. By updating fleets with latest generation fuel efficient aircraft such as the A220, A320neo Family, the A330neo and the A350, Airbus believes it will largely contribute to the progressive decarbonisation of the air transport industry and the objective of carbon neutral growth from 2020 while connecting more people globally.
Reflecting today’s evolving aircraft technology, Airbus has simplified its segmentation to consider capacity, range and mission type. For example, a short haul A321 is Small while the long-haul A321LR or XLR can be categorized as Medium. While the core market for the A330 is classified as Medium, it is likely a number will continue to be operated by airlines in a way that sits within the Large market segmentation along with the A350 XWB. The new segmentation gives rise to a need for 39,210 new passenger and freighter aircraft -29,720 Small, 5,370 Medium and 4,120 Large – according to Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast 2019-2038. Of these, 25,000 aircraft are for growth and 14,210 are to replace older models with newer ones offering superior efficiency. Resilient to economic shocks, air traffic has more than doubled since 2000. It is increasingly playing a key role in connecting large population centers, particularly in emerging markets where the propensity to travel is among the world’s highest as cost or geography make alternatives impossible. Today, about a quarter of the world’s urban population is responsible for more than a quarter of global GDP, and given both are key growth drivers, Aviation Mega Cities (AMCs) will continue to power the global aviation network. Developments in superior fuel efficiency are further driving demand to replace existing less fuel efficient aircraft. The Small segment includes the A220 Family and all variants of the A320 Family. The core Airbus products in the Medium  segment are the A330 and A330neo Family, and can also include the smaller A321LR and XLR versions used on long-haul missions. The largest segmentation Large, is represented by the A330neo Family together with the larger A350 XWB Family which also includes the Ultra Long Range version. This segmentation will continue to be served by the A380 at the upper end.

---

BOEING
Boeing and Safran announced a joint investment in Electric Power Systems (EPS), a company offering a suite of safe, certifiable and lightweight energy storage products that provide high-quality power for aerospace and other markets. The joint investment will help EPS develop a highly automated industrial base capable of producing aviation-grade energy storage systems at an unprecedented scale. The investment will also support the advancement of technologies to further reduce the costs of battery systems for electric airplanes. Boeing HorizonX Ventures and Safran Corporate Ventures jointly invested in EPS during this Series A funding round. EPS is the second advanced battery solutions company to join the Boeing HorizonX Ventures investment portfolio, following an investment in Cuberg, an advanced lithium metal battery technology company, in 2018. Safran Ventures also recently invested in OXIS Energy, a UK-based leader in lithium-sulfur cell technology for high energy density battery systems. Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aircraft propulsion and equipment, space and defense markets. Safran has a global presence, with more than 92,000 employees and sales of 21 billion euros in 2018. Working alone or in partnership, Safran holds world or European leadership positions in its core markets. Safran undertakes Research & Development programs to meet fast-changing market requirements, with total R&D expenditures of around 1.5 billion euros in 2018. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.

---

OTHER NEWS

• Are you ready for some new technology for your laptop and phone on your forthcoming trips? A Wide Range of Testing Results on an Excellent Lithium-Ion Cell Chemistry to be used as Benchmarks for New Battery Technologies and Jeff Dahn Claims New Pouch Cells Could Be Good For 1 Million Miles | CleanTechnica
• And speaking of entertainment (I know, that is bad linking) here is a potential future for airline pax info storage – in music! Storing data in music — ScienceDaily
• This may sound crazy but IFEC may end up in flying balloons – Zeppelins stopped flying after the Hindenburg disaster. Now scientists want to bring them back.
• Need some “soft murmur” on your earphone while in a crazy airport? Here is a free one – A Soft Murmur
• Perhaps we need “eye’s” on airport baggage carts? All robots should have googly eyes. Here’s why And speaking for robots, here is a potential (Note: We said Potential) robot for future deliveries in airport and possibly to folks on planes. Hybrid Robot Flies, Creeps, and Leaps Off Buildings – Tech Briefs (OK, this is a stretch but what if you needed your medicine that you forgot and the airplane was in line to take-off?)
• If you have an Apple computer and want to travel with it, be advised! Airlines Are Banning MacBooks From Checked Luggage