Safran Reveals Euphony | Panasonic Avionics Joins Forces with Adobe | Burrana Authorized to Market In-Seat Power for Airbus Linefit | OneWeb Connected Passenger Report |

Safran

Safran Seats reveals Euphony, an innovative passenger experience solution for Business and First class seats that provides passengers with a headset-free and high-quality individual sound experience. The solution, which will be revealed at the Aircraft Interiors Exhibition, has been developed in partnership with Devialet, an acoustic engineering company contributing with its world- class expertise and innovation to this joint effort.

With Euphony, each individual passenger can enjoy high quality sound in every position of the seat, enabling them to make the most of the entertainment content provided by the airline free from headsets and cables. With no more communication barriers with fellow travelers nor the cabin crew, Euphony enables a seamless on-board experience.

Euphony is made possible thanks to Devialet’s unique patented acoustic technologies and acoustic tuning expertise, coupled with Safran Seats invention which consists of two Devialet bespoke loudspeakers on each side of a standard sized headrest. Together, they provide the passenger with a high-fidelity sound that is clear and full-bodied. Euphony also enables the system to adjust in real- time to the audio content and the ambient cabin noise to offer an optimum listening experience without affecting other passengers on board.

Available across the Safran Seats Business class & First class product portfolio, Euphony is an intelligent solution that was selected by a first launch customer and will enter into service in 2023.

“Bringing Euphony to the market aligns with Safran’s vision to innovate and offer the best passenger experience. Our partnership with Devialet, a world leading acoustic company, brings one more option for our airline customers to customize their seat out of a wide range of options available across our full range of products ” Quentin Munier, Safran Seats EVP Strategy & Innovation.

Franck Lebouchard, CEO at Devialet says: “We are incredibly excited about our partnership with Safran Seats, bringing Devialet’s world-class technology to aircraft through this unique innovation. We believe great sound should be available at every moment, whether on the ground or in the sky, and with Safran Seats we are one step closer to that goal.”

Panasonic Avionics

 Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) has announced that it has joined forces with Adobe to advance the next generation of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) through enhanced content delivery, data collection & activation, journey orchestration and experience intelligence services.

Adobe, the global leader in enterprise software, enabling businesses to create, manage and deliver personalized customer experiences and Panasonic Avionics, the global leader in IFEC solutions, bring together their respective capabilities to drive airline loyalty (NPS), ancillary revenue, and operational efficiencies.

Panasonic Avionics will integrate Adobe Experience Cloud’s content delivery, data, journey orchestration and experience intelligence capabilities into its onboard IFEC systems to ease the distribution of content for in-flight services while generating and activating on data from passengers’ real-time onboard services, transactions, and in-trip experiences.

Airlines will gain behavioral insights from customers’ IFEC interactions to accelerate service and enhance loyalty while connecting the in-flight experience throughout each passenger’s journey.

Personalization and targeted services have long defined the value of web and mobile experiences and have been hailed as the next frontier in IFEC to accelerate the customer experience. Panasonic Avionics and Adobe share the vision that airlines can drive more value out of IFEC by using data driven services to drive new revenue opportunities and increase airline NPS through service recovery.

The new partnership between Adobe and Panasonic Avionics transforms this process by offering pre-integrated functionality, using new and existing airline web and mobile assets, that can be deployed quickly and securely into IFEC services. Airlines will benefit from data updates in real time and, by utilizing AI-driven insights, can deliver and activate the right passenger experience across every channel.

Andrew Mohr, Vice President, Digital Solutions of Panasonic Avionics, said, “The cabin experience offers enormous untapped potential to deliver new value to airlines and their passengers through IFEC. We are delighted to provide this latest evolution in the digital onboard experience. Pre-integrating Adobe’s services will provide valuable and insightful data to airlines so they can further improve the in-flight experience for their customers.”

Julie Hoffmann, Global Head of Industry Strategy for Travel at Adobe, said, “At Adobe, we help travel brands to personalize and scale digital experiences. Working with Panasonic Avionics, Adobe Experience Cloud transforms all airline passenger data to create actionable customer profiles, whilst ensuring privacy is respected and data is securely stored.

Together with Panasonic Avionics, we are unlocking the value of data for airline teams, accelerating personalized experiences and services in-flight, that passengers now expect.”

The capability will include Panasonic Avionics’ recently introduced modular interactive capability, which will enable the ability to leverage existing airline digital assets and workflows and harmonize digital initiatives across all airline channels – web, mobile and IFEC.

Burrana

Burrana announces that it has obtained Airbus’ approval to market its RISE In-Seat Power solution to multiple airlines on the A320 family of aircraft, following successful completion of the Airbus acceptance test in Hamburg. RISE Power will now be available for factory installation for aircraft deliveries starting in Q2 2023.

Burrana has also secured an unidentified launch customer on the A320 and A321 aircraft types. Under the contract, Burrana will supply more than fifty aircraft with 3 Amp (15W) USB-A and -C combo jacks at every seat, as well as 110 VAC Power outlets in premium economy.

The solution is a simple installation architecture with minimal components, consisting of a small, lightweight housing either double USB jacks or 110V plus USB outlets, compact seat power boxes, and harnesses. Burrana will also provide product support and manage spares globally.

The solution offers an innovative approach without compromising on space, weight, ergonomics and aesthetics. It provides airlines with the fastest USB charging in the industry with 15W (3 Amp) charging via both USB-A and USB-C ports. The system can also be upgraded to 60W USB-C ports by simply swapping out the jacks.

The RISE 48VDC architecture provides greater reliability with reduced size, weight, and CO2 emissions. Intelligent power-sharing distribution and load shed management ensures greater utilization and efficiency of available power in the cabin, with multiple levels of redundancy bringing passengers facing failures to almost zero. RISE Power also makes maintenance and future fleet planning easy with feature-rich usage data reporting on passenger behaviour and system performance.

Burrana CEO Graham Macdonald, said, “This linefit collaboration with Airbus for RISE in-seat power is a significant milestone for Burrana as we continue to deliver brand-enhancing cabin technology solutions to airlines. Once fully installed, thousands of passengers will be powering their devices with our In-seat Power solution at any one time,” Macdonald explained.

OneWeb

The OneWeb Connected Passenger Report, the first of its kind since the pandemic, was commissioned to feed the airline industry’s understanding of what airline passengers demand from their in-flight connectivity (IFC) experience and to explore how expectations meet or contrast with what they have experienced while flying so far.

• Wellbeing and sustainability are more important to passengers than ever before.
• Lack of connectivity in the sky creates undue stress before the flight.
• Inconsistency of Wi-Fi service, inaccurate marketing, and usage restrictions among top frustrations.

OneWeb, the global space-based communications company, has today released initial findings from its first OneWeb Connected Passenger Report, an extensive survey of passenger attitudes toward air travel and inflight connectivity (IFC) in the post-pandemic landscape. To undertake the research, OneWeb partnered with leading independent international research agency, TAG Research, to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative sample was collected in twenty-seven individual, hour-long interviews with frequent flyers across 5 key groups including corporate travel bookers, digital nomads, travel bloggers, and young frequent flyers. The qualitative data was obtained through a detailed survey completed by 4,110 individuals from across the US, UK, Singapore and the UAE.

Today, OneWeb shares with the airline industry a complimentary whitepaper featuring the key findings from the research. These timely findings clearly indicate a frustration with current connectivity solutions and provide a clear vision of what passengers really want from airlines post-COVID.

Post-pandemic, passengers prioritise quality of life more than ever before, and find frequent travel to be disruptive to their physical and emotional wellbeing. Current IFC services add to the stresses of travel for business and leisure passengers alike, and the survey highlights some of these top frustrations,  including:

• The prospect of Wi-Fi disconnection in the sky creates undue stress before the flight.
• 59% of passengers surveyed rating the current quality of IFC between ‘very poor’ to ‘moderate’ on a 7-point scale.
• Younger digital native passengers are less tolerant of current IFC and dismissive of its usability.
• 60% of passengers surveyed agree that the while the idea of accessing Wi-Fi in-flight is great, current connections aren’t reliable enough.

Ben Griffin, VP Mobility at OneWeb, commented: “OneWeb is proud to share the results of this survey with our colleagues across the industry, as we work together to better understand and address the needs and demands of modern air passengers. The Connected Passenger Report sheds light on the shifting sentiment of passengers who are demanding better and more consistent connectivity, while also prioritizing well-being and sustainability more than ever before. These insights are incredibly important as we look to build solutions and inflight experiences that cater to the digitally demanding and socially conscious passengers of tomorrow.”

Post-Pandemic Sustainability and Wellbeing Higher on Passenger Agenda

Lockdown’s empty skies sharpened the focus on sustainability, and lessons from lockdown include an amplified commitment to quality of life and wellbeing.

“Sustainability and wellness are very much part of the discussion. It may be that people travel less frequently but stay longer. Sustainability is a conversation that we are having with all our corporate customers” – (Corporate Travel Booker)

Lack of Connectivity in the Sky Causes Stress on the Ground

Being offline inflight induces stress and generates ‘extra work’ for passengers, both pre and post flight.

“I’m literally the last person turning [my data] off.  It does panic me because I just think “oh my God, I won’t be able to send another message”, or you’ll send one and you won’t get the reply.  That is quite stressful”

(Travel Blogger)

People Have Developed Coping Mechanisms to Mitigate Disconnection

Many passengers lament their lack of preparation and relay tales of panicky downloading as they linger at the gate.

“It is quite annoying.  I had to take a photo of every single page of my study book the other day so I could do my homework on the flight.  I had to do it really quickly before the flight”

(Young Frequent Flyer)

Current IFC is not relied upon – so many people do not even bother with it

In a finding sure to alarm the IFC industry, 7 out of 10 respondents claim they’ve never tried inflight Wi-Fi citing perceived unreliability, cost and pre-established coping mechanisms as their reason for not connecting. 43% of those who have call the experience frustrating. As a result, passengers are generally reluctant to abandon their coping mechanisms and continue to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to preparing for disconnection during the flight.

Commenting on the results, Ben Griffin said “Despite the significant investment airlines are making in their IFC offering, it is clear the current in-flight connectivity experience is not consistently delivering on the needs of today’s connected passenger with a majority of passengers not even taking the time to connect. The flying public have spoken, and these results underscore a huge opportunity for airlines to improve their passengers experience, and loyalty by enhancing their IFC”.

Great Wi-Fi Onboard Can Contribute to a Sense of Well-Being

When passengers pause and think about their entire travel experience, the notion of being empowered to drop their coping mechanisms and free up time pre-and post-flight has tangible appeal. In the survey, 56% of passengers said they’d use better Wi-Fi to access entertainment of their choice, 48% said they’d feel happier keeping in touch with people on the ground, and 41% said they’d like to keep on top of work while flying.

Early Adopters of better Inflight Wi-Fi Stand to Gain from Improving Travel Wellness

Passengers were adamant that airlines which provide consistently high-quality IFC will stand apart from the competition and inspire loyalty.

“It would almost definitely impact our choice of airline. Good internet connectivity would be a game changer for us”

(Digital Nomad)

Commenting on the outcome of the study, Rachel Orgueil, Partner at TAG Research said:

“Our hypothesis at the outset of this project was that improved connectivity would be broadly welcomed by passengers and enhance their inflight experience.  Our research revealed the benefits of IFC are far more compelling and extensive, with the potential to positively impact the entire travel experience and passengers’ well-being. There is every indication that airlines will need to provide high quality IFC as a standardized part of their offer once it is available.”

Over the coming weeks and months, OneWeb will delve deeper into the data and sharing additional insights with the aviation sector.

Methodology:

Quantitative data was collected in a survey completed by 4,110 individuals from across the US, UK, Singapore and the UAE. Research took place between February and March 2022. The qualitative research was collected through interviews with frequent flyers across five topics (including digital nomads, travel bloggers, journalists, corporate travel bookers and young frequent flyers).

See the OneWeb Connected Passenger Report here:

https://go.oneweb.net/aviation/passenger_survey

CarlisleIT

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CarlisleIT), a division of Carlisle Companies (CSL), is featuring new satellite communications products for commercial aviation at the AIX 2022 show in Hamburg, Germany, including the Ka1717 Adapter Plate, Skirt, Radome and ThinKom’s proprietary VICTS antennas in partnership with ThinKom, and the Integrated Adapter Plate and Thermal Management System in partnership with Gilat Satellite Networks. CarlisleIT will be present throughout the show at stand number 4B40.

The Ka1717 platform is geared toward regional jets, single aisle, and VVIP aircraft to enable connectivity for passengers and support high-bandwidth services such as streaming, collaboration tools, messaging platforms, and social media. It features a low-profile radome for reduced drag as well as a new, simplified adapter plate design, all to significantly reduce weight, operational costs and initial investment for operators. CarlisleIT provides installation design, certification services, and kit manufacturing to support the integration of the system equipment provided by ThinKom.

“This antenna addresses performance limitations that do not meet today’s connectivity requirements, especially for regional jets,” said Chris Rawley, product line manager for aircraft connectivity solutions at CarlisleIT. “We are investing in a Satcom installation package for what we believe is an underserved market, and we are bringing high-bandwidth connectivity to fleets that are currently limited to low-performing air-to-ground (ATG) systems.”

CarlisleIT’s Integrated Adapter Plate and Thermal Management System (TMS), is a custom installation package design which accommodates fully-functional ESAs developed and tested by Gilat Satellite Networks for use with multiple satellite constellations. The TMS can easily be scaled to interface with other Electronically Steered Array antennas and provides a low-profile, compact installation, supporting gate-to-gate SATCOM operability.

“The integration of the CarlisleIT thermal management system into the adapter plate structure combined with Gilat’s ESA terminal demonstrates a solution that fits on smaller aircraft with a compact antenna footprint, yet surpasses connectivity performance expectations,” said David Grice, business development manager at CarlisleIT. “With both installation packages, we are excited to demonstrate the power of partnering with companies creating the latest technologies, like ThinKom and Gilat, and integrating them into the ever-changing landscape as it develops.”

CarlisleIT’s vertical integration allows them to provide interconnect solutions encompassing every facet of design and production – from component manufacturing to fully-integrated engineered solutions – for a variety of product needs. CarlisleIT leads the market in aerospace SATCOM installation solutions, with over 2,500 installations delivered worldwide.

Visit the CarlisleIT booth at the show, or contact Chris Rawley at christopher.rawley@carlisleit.com or David Grice at david.grice@carlisleit.com for more information.