Chicago, IL | February 26, 2020– Boeing today named Susan Doniz as the company’s chief information officer and senior vice president of Information Technology & Data Analytics, effective in May. She will succeed Vishwa Uddanwadiker, who has served in an interim capacity since October 2019.

In this role, Doniz, 50, will oversee all aspects of information technology, information security, data and analytics for the world’s largest aerospace company. She also will support the growth of Boeing’s business through IT- and analytics-related revenue generating programs. She will report to Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun, serve on the company’s Executive Council and be based in Chicago.

“Susan is a proven, customer-focused technology leader with extensive global experience across multiple industries, including commercial aviation,” said Calhoun. “She brings deep insight and skills to digital transformation, data analytics and artificial intelligence – all essential to our long-term growth strategy as well as our continuous drive for operational and safety excellence. She brings as well a passion for STEM education and diversity and inclusion.

“I’d also like to thank Vishwa for stepping in to take on this assignment during an important time for Boeing and for his support during this transition,” added Calhoun. “Vishwa demonstrated tremendous leadership, and we look forward to his continued significant contributions to the company.”

Doniz joins Boeing from Qantas Group, where she has served as Group chief information officer since January 2017. In that role, she oversaw technology innovation, development and integration, digital capabilities and cybersecurity across the Group’s companies, including Qantas Airlines, QantasLink, Qantas Loyalty and Jetstar.

Doniz has more than 25 years of global technology leadership experience, including strategic roles at SAP, Aimia and Procter & Gamble.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science and engineering from the University of Toronto, and serves as vice chair of the Digital Transformation Advisory Council of the International Air Transport Association.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 160,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth. 

This issue of IFExpress continues on the Digital Trends journey from the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) in Hamburg, Germany. We will wrap up the coverage up by navigating our readers through the final two sessions.

TAKING THE PAIN OUT OF THE DIGITAL JOURNEY

This was the first new stream in the afternoon and it focused on how the latest technology can both help and support new innovations that engage the passenger. And how there are multiple digital/mobile tools from different companies that are on offer to the passenger that can help, but also make the experience complex and disconnected. It also addressed the challenges our industry faces in sharing customer data and what issues specifically need to be tackled on an industry level.

This session was run a little differently from the previous streams. Questions were posed by the moderator, then each panelist addressed the question.

The panelists were: Dennis Baur – Head of Conichiwa; Steven Bailey – Chief Sales Officer of AOE; and Konsta Hansson – Managing Director of Reaktor Aero.

• Where do we start taking out the pain?

Dennis Baur of Conichiwa: Conichiwa works with many different companies in our industry from airlines, to airports, and hotels. “There are currently so many independent apps available to the traveler of today.  Many, if not most, of these apps are not connected (to each other) and the data points aren’t being shared. The result is clearly a disjointed passenger journey.” The industry needs to leverage the data and work towards a more connected experience for the traveler by sharing the information. Dennis used the term ‘super apps’ to achieve this concept.

Steven Bailey of AOE, is a long-time expert in the digitalization of international companies, as well as, their business and IT vision. We focus on helping clients with their digital transformation and multi-channel e-commerce strategies. “When we undertake a journey, 80% of it is planed ahead, but 20% is an impulse driven purchase. However, there are cultural drivers that differ with both travelers and airlines. For example, Asians want to pre-plan the journey, have planned purchases, etc. Sharing customer data is a really crucial point. Our industry needs to look at becoming customer centric – people plan in advance and are using their devices to leverage their journey.”

Konsta Hansson of Reaktor. In case you are not familiar with Reaktor, they are a digital design consulting firm that works across multiple industries. “We as an industry, need to focus on what the passenger wants and needs to get done throughout their journey.” Konsta went on to discuss the concept of the importance of customer centric product development. “Because we work across multiple industries, we can see what different clients/users do across those different settings. The key is to understand what the people are trying to get then providing them with something that addresses those needs that truly works to get things done.”

• How do we help the industry overcome that fear?

Konsta: “By maybe trying the smaller things first. As an industry, we have fear about what will happen when the passenger is provided with the right type of information that they need. For example, that their bag didn’t make the flight. “

Dennis: Suggested using sensing technologies and beacons, which provide data that the airline can leverage. “Start with implementing digital technology along the customer journey – beacons are an example. Everyone wants this, but no one is speaking to each other and no one is actually addressing the need. Design it in a user centric way.”

Steven: “Retail and services in airports are like a different part of the airport and don’t really share data with the other portions of an airport, like parking, and services (disabled, etc). Treating it like a fraternity not a trinity. Sharing data is paramount for success. Finding a solution is paramount. Look at customer journey and make it customer centric. Sharing the data, no matter what the source. Data falls into 2 buckets: GDPR (VERY Personal stuff) and Common Data. Is there a possibility that GDPR could overcome this by having the traveler signing up for some basic information being shared about you?”

Konsta: “Data can be very generic but still be very useful. When you are using general data there are no issues about privacy. It is quite common to merge different data sources in other industries, which is quite beneficial.”

Steven: “Minor steps are significant. For example: a passenger hasn’t boarded plane, so unload their luggage and let the passenger know that there is a hotel right around the corner and that they can buy pajamas, or whatever they need for the unexpected stay.”

Dennis: “The current infrastructure is very fragmented. How quickly can your company deploy and move? In this industry, we tend to be so behind. – it is the nature of the aviation industry; whereas, the passenger journey itself is quite agile.”

Konsta: “It is about being nimble and fast. Not about products really. It is about what addresses the customers’ problem. This must be in the forefront of the airline’s/airport/s mind. A lot of this stuff isn’t about IoT, it is empowering the people to do something. Sometimes the problem is much simpler than building or opening another application. Block chain will be the next thing coming up, especially with the loyalty programs and payment. At the moment this is API based. It is going to take some time, so now we need to take time and make small steps first. Always look at the customer. We are in the time where people have to have the guts to go into OPEX (a type of software for automation that provides tremendous speed to IT). There are algorithms that have been developed in other industries, could they be used after the fact to prove that the system/product could be used? This may be a way to get the industry to embrace something, by proving after the fact, that the process/analysis works. Must leave it up to the customer about when and where they want to engage.” He went on to say that when it comes time to test/trial, “You have to use actual passengers and users, in order for you to know whether it will be used.“ He also had advice on how to start this process, “How do we begin? Start with something small first. Select one small project somewhere and start doing something in a new way. This is how you start to change a mindset. Often, digitization is put on the sidelines and is laughed at. We need to ask where we want to be in 5 -10 years and how much funding are we going to put at it and it needs to be additional revenue, not filtered off another area. Have a strategy to go forward over the next 12 months and when do you plan to go live with it. This is a type of barrier that we see all the time. The C levels want it but it the mid-level managers are pushing back. Based on fear that their jobs will be lost. Konsta finished with this: “Do something that will break your own business model and try to identify what other companies will try to do in your sector. Look at additional revenues and your customers. Take the pain out build something that works. Quality is important if you want to take the pain out. Start small.”

ENHANCING YOUR REALITY

Panelists for this session: David Dicko – CEO Skylights; Fachrul Iman Alghozali – Product Development Analyst for GMF AeroAsia; Claire Nurcombe – Head of Marketing, Stelia Aerospace; Fabian Birgfeld – Founder & Managing Direction of W12, A TCS Interactive digital Design Studio; and Greg Caterer – CEO of Neutral Digital

The first to address the attendees was David Dicko from SkyLights. For those of you who aren’t familiar with SkyLights, they are a company that is deploying cinematic VR inflight. David said, “VR inflight is a technology that is able to overcome the special constraints of the cabin and ‘transport’ the passenger away from the cabin environment. SkyLights offers full HD, 3D AND 2D experiences.” He went on to say that over the past three (3) years they have done 7,000+ flights and have been commercially deployed on Garuda Indonesia, Alaska Airlines, and Air France. “The average usage time is 3 hours with a 94% passenger satisfaction rate,” said David. “Airlines that have offered the product have shown an improved NPS, a differentiated experience, and increased their brand awareness.” He went on, “Some of the obstacles have been headset comfort, nausea, and the passenger announcements (PA). One of the biggest issues is passenger comfort over the long haul. And comfort is key. Nausea can be solved by not doing VR when we don’t need to, and when we do show 360-degree content we must be careful how that content is made and reproduced. Passengers need to follow 10k feet rules, passenger announcements. Either address via Wi-Fi or through the audio.” David went on to say that airlines who have selected and/or trialed the SkyLights product have done extensive internal analysis on their passenger experience; need a differentiator for the passenger experience and feel that the cabin experience is a key precondition to stay competitive.”

Fachrul Iman Alghozali was the next presenter and gave an update on their VR trial with SkyLights which commenced after APEX in Boston 2018. He said the trail looked at comfort, entertainment and anxiety. Some of the challenges to flying with VR that they experienced were: Safety & Authorities’ Regulation; Operational Habit Change; Passenger Feedback; MRO & Ground Support Perspective; Supply Chain; System Integration; and Maintain Reliability. Fachrul said as far as the PA integration, they came up with a single cable integration and the PA was connected to the Wi-Fi server.

Here are two charts from the presentation: Evaluation on the Garuda Deployment and What We Know.

Claire Nurcombe of Neutral Digital (ND) was the next panelist. “ND has been working with SkyLights for a little over year to look at the integration opportunities. We have been looking at the following issues: How do we integrate it into seat and what are the certification issues? What do we need to overcome to achieve that? What is the real value of integrating VR headsets into the seat? We can do 4D cinema where the seat vibrates/moves to mimic what is going on in the screen (explosions, etc.) There is an Opal seat on SkyLights booth at the Expo. We worked together to create a massage/wellness environment and it can create a much more convincing environment for the passenger”.

Claire went on to say, “On the subject of VR, we are just starting out as a seat manufacturer. Reducing our cycles and can quickly check assumptions and validations. Can be done prior to building the mock-up. From a pragmatic point of view, it is how we are using it. VR is just starting its journey. It has left the gadget/gimmick stage. “

She closed with, “If we as a seat manufacturer can get rid of the inseat screen we can radically change how the seat fits into the aircraft and what it can be like. “ 

The Core Applications of VR in the Aviation Sector was the title of Greg Caterer of Neutral Digital’s presentation. Greg told the audience, “ND came up with the idea of a storyfied version of an in-cabin experience for Air Canada. We discovered that there are both cost and memorability benefits to putting the passenger experience at the center and trying to improve it via VR.  Cabin crew and ground operations training modules (interactive VR training) we critical. There was also seat visualization collaboration between Pearsonlloyd (the seat designer) and Neutral Digital. We established three (3) pillars for success: marketing, training and design. All of the 3 pillars have the passenger experience improving at their core.”

Take a look at this chart from Greg’s presentation that discusses the Key Benefits of Using VR.

The final speaker of the afternoon was Fabian Birgfeld, founder & Managing Direction W12.

Fabian started his presentation by discussion the following lessons learned, focusing on the audience: 1) obviously the importance of customer journey 2) with delocalization of the customer. Ask yourself, how do you craft freedom and fold it into the experience?

He went on to make the following statements/questions:

• People don’t want to be locked in.
• How do you use technology to enhance the customer experience?
• Why is customer experience so incredibly important?
• Compare the living room experience with everything else is out there.
• Look at customer service & experience.
• How do you leverage technology to influence tomorrow?
• Everything is connected. Customers expect a seamless experience(s).
• It is all about the data.
• The customers expect tailored experiences. The data exists and we should use the information to tailor the experience.
• Voice changes everything. Customers expect conversational experiences. Remote is a huge constraint compared to voice and gestures.
• The artificial turns natural. Our reality is changing fast. That is a broad spectrum of reality and the customer is going to choose what is their choice.

“The customer journey starts the moment you conceive the journey through your return home. It is important that it is seamless and that is key. It is a reality that Netflix, Amazon Prime are what the consumer is used to, and it is what they expect moving forward.” Said Greg, “Never look at these things as a singular experience but together: brand, offer, tech – this is what comprises the experience framework.”

Greg continued, “Brand is so important. If you solve the brand issue you have solved 90% of the problem that is out there. You can future proof your offering. Digital changes extremely fast once you get hooked into the cloud.”

“Technology: We must create platform agnostic experiences. Work across all platforms to provide a consistent experience. Right now, the lowest hanging fruit is in the AR (augmented reality) space because you can cover the entire journey. Think of the opportunities/concepts: Airportal – the destination at the gate and bring the destination forward; Peek and book – see before you buy; and Travel tag – leaving your mark.”

Editor’s Note: This wraps up the Passenger Experience Conference Digital Trends Stream. Next week we will move on to some of the hardware and concepts we saw during the Aircraft Interiors Expo itself. So stay tuned!

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GOGO

Gogo Inc. announced that it has determined that the consummation of the offering and sale of $905 million aggregate principal amount of 9.875% senior secured notes due 2024 by Gogo Intermediate Holdings LLC (“Holdings LLC”), the Company’s direct wholly owned subsidiary, and Gogo Finance Co. Inc., a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Holdings LLC and the Company’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary, satisfies the financing condition to its previously announced cash tender offer for any and all of its outstanding 3.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020.

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THALES

Thales announces that Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, chose Thales’ Ka-band connectivity solution for their B787-9 and A321Neo-E (LR) aircraft. The airline is renowned for its traditional hospitality and its commitment to being an industry leader by developing products and services that reflect the evolving needs and aspirations of their passengers for a modern travel experience.

• Gulf Air selects Thales’ Ka-band connectivity solution for its B787-9 and A321Neo-E (LR) fleet.
• Thales will provide a robust, modular and full-featured connectivity platform for a best in class experience onboard leveraging Global Xpress Ka-band satellite network.
• In 2016, Gulf Air selected Thales’ AVANT IFE system for their complete fleet renewal program.

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OTHER NEWS

• You might want to check out Thunderbolt 3 for airborne data loading. From the report they note: “For years, Abaco’s ARINC 615-3 data loader software supported laptop-based data loading using ARINC 429 interface devices that were based on the ExpressCard or PC Card form factors. They were a relatively straightforward solution: they were easily portable, hot-swappable, and slots were readily available on most laptops. Additionally, ExpressCard and PC Card devices provided software running on the host computer with low-latency memory-mapped access to the device.” It goes on: “Although USB is a high-speed bus capable of efficiently moving large amounts of data, device access latencies are an issue; what is needed is a widely available portable form factor capable of providing memory-mapped access to an ARINC 429 interface device.” Further, “Promoted by Intel as the “one port that does it all”, Thunderbolt 3 ports allow operation of many device interface standards (including USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2, and PCI Express Gen 3) and power delivery over a single compact cable”
  They have a free report here: A Path Forward for Avionics Data Bus Interfaces – Free White Paper – Avionics
• If you want to park your electric car at the airport and then need to find power when you return (charger availability): check this out (from Google) – Google Maps will now help you find EV charging stations – The Verge
• LinkedIn has a few new features that just may make you a new believer in it like finding other LinkedIn users in a crowd – check it out!
• Think this might work in an airplane? Researchers transmit data via a semiconductor laser, opening the door to ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi And, here’s another: The first laser radio transmitter: Researchers transmit data via a semiconductor laser, opening the door to ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi — ScienceDaily
• Here is an Aviation Week 2016 (and yes, we do mean 2016) article on the recent B737 “issues” Simpler 737-10X, New Midsize Airplane Both ‘Doable’ | Commercial Aviation content from Aviation Week — with some 93 reader comments!
• Always skeptical of technical developments in transportation, we read a CleanTechnica article on the Tesla technology here: Tesla Autonomy Day Video & Dozens Of Quotes | CleanTechnica And, we were blown away by the driving technology developments. Check it out, especially if you are a Tesla 2D fan, but a person who wishes this kind of technology could be applied to 3D motion (like flying). You might find this tech description article potentially applicable, complex, and scary , and yes, there is another side of the story in EE Times – Tesla’s Kitchen-Sink Approach to AVs | EE Times

Two Digital Trends Breakout Sessions – 2019 Passenger Experience Conference

In last week’s issue of IFExpress we reviewed the opening session from the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) held in Hamburg, Germany earlier this month. This week, we will focus on the conference’s Digital: The New Reality Breakout Sessions. We found these panel discussions to be informative and pertinent to the current trends in our industry.

From an important perspective, The Digital: The New Reality stream looked at how digital tools are surpassing the current mobile apps and will eventually be integrated across the entire journey, creating a seamless digital user space.

The keynote address for this stream was Practical applications of digital in the passenger experience. The cabin is a 3-dimensional object but the 4th dimension is time, and was presented by Anaïs Marzo da Costa, Head of Aircraft Interiors Marketing, Airbus. Anaïs discussed the current digital trends that Airbus has been looking at.  She said that Airbus has been working at connecting the airplane and they are now focusing on trying to connect the cabin. She stated that studies indicated there were 3 billion smartphone users in 2018 and that number is estimated to double to 6.1 billion by 2020.  Anaïs continued by stating that Airbus anticipates 23,100 aircraft to be equipped with connectivity by the year 2025. Looking back, there were zero airlines connected in 2007, and ten years later, in 2017 there were 106 aircraft connected. Needless to say, the forecasted rate of implementation over the next nine to ten years is impressive and enhances the fact that the integration of digitalization is growing rapidly.

How is connectivity coming onboard? Smartphones are used by travelers for booking and check-in – smartphones are the #1 travel companion. What does this information translate to onboard the aircraft? Passengers want choice! Airbus stated that the 2017 SITA IT Trends Survey & the Gogo Global Traveler 2018 Survey foresee more multi-screen environments in the future – both BYOD & inseat screens. This degree of digitalization provides an opportunity for a more tailored/targeted service and airlines are in the process of developing personalized offers that are enabled by: mobile connectivity, data analytics, and the passenger’s willingness to share personal data (right now that is roughly 27% of consumers).

Airbus has been actively pursuing the future of the connected cabin (the wireless network that links everything in cabin: galleys, overhead bag bins, flight attendants, passengers, cargo bays, lavatories, etc.), creating a cabin ecosystem for seamless connectivity of the various cabin elements, enabling additional value for both the airlines and the passengers. “The idea is to have every commodity in the cabin talking to each other, creating value for the airline and the passenger.”

Anaïs said, “There are three (3) pillars of the connected experience: 1) Operational Efficiency, 2) Ancillary Revenue, & 3) Passenger Experience.” Examples are:  Operational Efficiency – predictive maintenance, cabin crew operations and turnaround times; Ancillary Revenues – personalized inflight retail, tailored advertising, and news services; and the Passenger Experience – personalized catering, individual comfort settings, personalized services and the amount of bag bin space available. All the aforementioned will be achieved by using an IoT platform.

“At the moment we (Airbus) are doing predictive maintenance with the aircraft data but we want to be able to map that over to the cabin as well. Airbus is working with other aircraft manufacturers and suppliers in order to facilitate this in the near future. We, as an industry, are working on a common and secure language because this will benefit both the airline and the passenger”. In closing, Anaïs said, “I’ve recently asked Fritz Urban (Airbus’ cochair of the ARINC CSS committee) if CSS is going to write a standard for this network. As of today, there has been no response.”

The First Panel Discussion on Digital Trends pertained to Creating the Complete Digital and Physical Journey. This stream focused on how biometric technologies are providing an opportunity to reach the passenger on their journey through the airport and onto the aircraft.

Russell Holmes, Strategy Director & Partner of ico Design, was the first to address attendees. Mr. Holmes has been working with the London Luton Airport team over the past 5 years and has been instrumental in developing their brand.  His message evolved around the concept of looking at best practices. He said, “Everything should be underpinned by something that is not working as individual silos.” He went on to say, “The airport identity needs to work not only in a physical space but also in a digital space.” The airport identity should be completely flexible. One cannot look at the airport as static space. The question then is: How do you create something as a brand that can live in both the physical and digital space?

The next panelist was David Bartlett, CTO of Panasonic Avionics. David spoke to the assembly about the concept of competitive differentiation and the concept of the 4th Dimension/Place. He explained that for people the First Place is Home, the Second Place is Work and the Third Place (as defined by Ray Oldenburg in 1989 who stated it was critical to modern society, democracy) is a place that you go that you opt in (think coffee shop or a café). A prime example of a company that has really leveraged the concept of the Third Place is Starbucks. Mr. Bartlett sated, “We at Panasonic Avionics are proposing that Travel is the Fourth Place. Why is travel the logical fourth place?  We believe the travel experience is the co-mingling of the first 3 places. When you travel you socialize, work, sleep, eat.”

The concept of the 4th place is it must be a place that people look forward to being in. This is achieved by removing a lot of the friction points. How do we do this? How do we make the journey more of a place that people want to be in? How do we do this an industry? People want an experience that is seamless and gives them an immersive experience. How do we, as an industry, provide them with one connected experience starting from the home, throughout the journey, then back to the home? In other words, how do we provide a more personally curated experience? Panasonic cannot do this alone. It is an action call to the industry to leverage the entire ecosystem to work together in a new and more open way to achieve this.

The third panelist was Simon Krasowski, SVP Digital Transformation, Diehl Aviation; who discussed Digital Aviation Transformation. Simon said, “The world is shifting and becoming more complex. We are moving from complicated to more complex systems. How do we solve the problems and tackle them? It is more about testing different options. So, we need to change the way we work, take risks and allow failures.” He went on to say that we must make certain that we, as an industry, have seamless processes through the value chain. Right now, competitive priced products may be an answer, but in the future, it will be more about customer concentricity and speed of innovation – in other words, design thinking. “We must work closer within our work ecosystem and work with partners in order to achieve better and faster results. In other words, the key for success is collaboration within ecosystem. This calls for a balance between traditional working methods and agile working methods.”

The fourth panelist was Anne de Hauw of IN Air Travel Experience. Ms. De Hauw started her presentation stating that traditionally, airlines focused on safety and the passenger focused on the experience. Today, the question is should the focus be on the customer or technology? “At IN Air, we believe that time is your customer’s most valuable resource.  Airlines are going from creating technologies to services. They will do this by using technology as an enabler (AI, block chain). Technology (AI) will be crucial in customer service and convenience will be the new loyalty.”

Anne went on to discuss the 5 Key Pillars that will be needed, and they are: 1) Data-Driven: data gathering, machine learning and rapid analysis. This will lead to predicting behavior > intelligent offers > higher revenues. 2) Connectivity: onboard connectivity is transforming the travel experience to an open & connected world. Passengers behave like usual digital consumers. 3) Customer-Centricity: Reinvented offerings to evolve into hyper-personalized, immersive and emotional experiences. 4) Personalization: Faster and more efficient personalized services. 5) Collaborative Eco-System: Stakeholder interaction, passenger engagement and data sharing to create a positive and competitive experience.

She went on to discuss the New Brand Hierarchy, where, companies like Apple, Google and Amazon hold the top tier. Airlines are located on the second tier. She asked the question of how to play on that level? IN Air believes the answer is in providing ultimate convenience to the passenger. It has to be fast, easy and fun (FEF). This is achieved by being a combination of both digital and human interface. The best of the digital conveniences would be comprised of: seamless and single token, AI and Service Bot, Data analytics, connectivity. The best of human interface would be comprised of: hospitality, culture, emotional experiences, service. The best of both: Personalization/CURATION, Loyalty/COMMUNITY, engagement/CREATION and convenience/CONNECTIVITY. Anne wrapped up her presentation with the following, “The human interface will become the new premium service. The human interface is comprised of empathy, passion and creativity, with emotion at the core.” “The airline must care,” said Anne. She used an example of economy food service. What the food looks like, how it is presented, etc. and stated that this is an example of how the human interface currently needs to be improved in today’s market. She asked, “Why can’t the food look appealing and be presented in a more appetizing fashion? This is not helping the cause. There are technologies that are disrupting airline catering. New initiatives are on the cusp for utilizing the digital advancements to get this going. This is what we as an industry need to strive for!”

The last speaker from this session of the Digital Trends stream was Elizabeth “Bess” Chapman, Operating Principal of JetBlue Technologies (JBT). She works with portfolio companies to create compelling value propositions for JetBlue, source new technology and identify emerging trends. She stated that innovation is a big part of JetBlue’s airline identify but she has found it has become more challenging to become more innovative. “We want to find the next Uber in aviation,” said Bess.

How does JetBlue Technologies work? They scan the global ecosystem for start-ups. Once they find one that is appealing JBT partners with them. They help them get going then bring them back into JetBlue. “We work with startups both via investment but with time as well,” said Bess. Over time, they have invested in 22 companies.

“Brand is an identity former. Look at Apple. They have incredibly strong brand identity. If they were to launch an airline, who wouldn’t fly it?! Virgin has a very strong brand identity, but many others do not,” she said. “People and their interaction and empathy are very significant. Again, look at an Apple store vs. an airline counter at an airport.”

One challenge now is to test and take risks and see what really works, but also, the industrialization to make certain you have the best product for your customer.

Disruptions in a business like an airline is very different from an electronics giant like Apple. Whether it is a delay, etc. How do you get that irate passenger to come around and change their position from being annoyed to appreciative? Is it offering them free Wi-Fi, a glass of champagne? You really have to know the individual’s wants/needs. This is another advantage in digital technology – it is not only cutting cost but being able to deliver. And reliability is very important.

Value Perspective: What is the next big value disruption? With regards to AI, a lot has been done with biometrics via facial technology for within the airport that allows passengers to board using biometrics, so there is no need for a boarding pass, because facial recognition is so secure. With this digital information, there is then the opportunity to target those people with sales/shopping en route to the gate. JBT also believes that the insights from the data will be absolutely game changing for our industry.

Another area that JBT finds significant is the airlines that want to boost their customer service and personal interaction are the airlines who are looking at the concept of virtual assistants, so it really is a better balance, it isn’t actually trying to depersonalize the experience. How people interact with a virtual assistant may be key. You tend to talk with them in a neutral way vs. the way you may interact with a person or your partner. This may be a way that the technology understands who I am, how quickly I need to get through the airport, etc. All reducing the stress of the journey.

Next week the IFExpress team will wrap-up the Digital Trends Stream with “Taking the Pain Out of the Digital Journey” and the final session “Enhancing Your Reality”.

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ASTRONICS

Astronics Corporation announced that it will supply inflight entertainment system hardware for a next-generation inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) system being developed by one of the largest airlines in the United States. Under the agreement, Astronics’ products will equip nearly 50 of the airlines’ new widebody aircraft. Provided by Astronics CSC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astronics Corporation, Astronics is now delivering production units that are a combination of new and existing products, both standard off-the-shelf and custom designs.

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GOGO

Gogo Inc. announced the pricing of the previously announced private offering of $905 million aggregate principal amount of 9.875% senior secured notes due 2024 (the “Notes”) to be issued by its direct wholly owned subsidiary, Gogo Intermediate Holdings LLC (“Holdings LLC”), and its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Gogo Finance Co. Inc. (the “Co-Issuer” and, together with Holdings LLC, the “Issuers”).  The offering is expected to close on April 25, 2019, subject to certain closing conditions.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

While IFExpress’ primary focus is IFEC, we have been flooded with news about the 737 MAX. We recommend this April 18, 2019 article from the IEEE Spectrum. It is both descriptive and technical and represents the observations and operating conditions of the aircraft by an author who is both a pilot and software developer.  How the Boeing 737 Max Disaster Looks to a Software Developer – IEEE Spectrum

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OTHER NEWS

• L-Band is being tested in Germany for the future of aviation communication and one of the reason is data rate – 2.6 Megabits/sec versus a few kilobits. Notes Avionics International: “First, it is an alternative link that pilots and controllers can use to digitally exchange much of the same information they communicate today verbally. Secondly, it can serve as an alternative positioning, navigation and timing signal for correcting aircraft navigation accuracy when global navigation satellite system links such as Galileo or EGNOS in Europe are interrupted or unavailable.” Flight Tests of LDACS Prototype Under Way in Germany – Avionics International
• If you are into antennas, or you want to learn more about antennas, check out this site. The Antenna Theory Website As they (and Einstein) say: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

 

 

 

Immfly offers the opportunity to airlines to engage passengers with an amusing experience that starts at the airport and continues while flying

APEX EXPO, Boston MA | September 24, 2018– The digital services platform Immfly, that, until now, could only be accessed onboard, can now entertain the passengers on the ground, while waiting for the flight. Based on the passengers’ access ratio and satisfaction level with Immfly’s platform, the company decided to extend, and specially, anticipate its offer to the airport. Airport vip lounges, or pre-boarding areas at the terminals can now have Immfly’s digital services at their disposal.

The day of the flight
The extension

The day of the flight means not only the flight but also beforehand in the airport, where only very few airlines can have a digital relationship with its customers.

From the moment someone looks for travel inspiration to the time it gets back home, there are several touch-points that constitute a commercial opportunity for airlines and its partners to interact with customers and get the most of those interaction in the form of revenue or in the form of customer satisfaction. Many airlines have done a great job using their digital channels and capabilities to communicate in a more personal and personalised way with their customers at most of those touch points, but still, there are significant gaps in that digital customer journey. There are still touch points that are not being used in a digital way. The biggest digital gap is the day of the flight, “the moment of truth” for NPS, the phase that most affects customer perception of the whole experience.

A seamless experience
Its benefits

Immfly offers now the opportunity to not only entertain passengers during that typically hectic time, improving their experience through personalization and choice, but also a new opportunity to monetize that digital relationship.

It is the chance to improve customer experience at the airport through entertainment and service at the same time that opens a new opportunity for ancillary revenues such as seatupgrades or activities at destination. Eventually, everything that could be done and enjoyed during the flight, can now be done before, on the ground.

Jimmy von Korff Martinez, co-founder of Immfly states “Combining the in-flight entertainment platform with the in-airport platform that offers the same entertainment content will allow customers to browse and select content before the flight for watching it later. In the same way will allow them to start watching a movie while waiting to board and continue watching the same movie in-flight, or to book or buy an activity on their final destination, which means passengers will benefit from a seamless experience and content consumption before and during the flight”.

From the airport, during the flight and post-flight, the Immfly wireless digital platform lets the airline expand the digital relationship with its customers, the data collection and revenue generation opportunities, and imp

Almost 500 airline experts are meeting this week at one of the largest international airline IT user conferences. Lufthansa Systems will showcase the latest innovations in the digital world of aviation.

Raunheim | May 2, 2018– How do airlines plan their networks in the age of digitalization? What opportunities do artificial intelligence and machine learning offer for managing flight operations? And how will crews communicate with each other in the future? Lufthansa Systems will discuss these and other questions relating to the digital transformation of the aviation industry with its airline customers this week. The Airline Forum starts today at the Lufthansa Training & Conference Center in Seeheim under the slogan of “Transformation & YOU.” Almost 500 participants, among them representatives of around 80 airlines worldwide, will learn about the latest developments in the portfolio of the airline IT specialist. Lufthansa Systems advises and supports airlines in their digital transformation. The aviation IT experts show what sustainable airline processes can look like and provide hands-on support to customers in implementing their projects.

“The fourth industrial revolution – also known as Industry 4.0 – started long ago. An era of data communication, constant connectivity and a digital workforce. These new technologies massively influence an airline’s processes,” said Olivier Krueger, CEO of Lufthansa Systems.

The keynote on the topic of “Transforming business through data-driven personalization” will be held by Dr. Andreas Ribbrock, Principal Data Scientist at the Lufthansa Systems subsidiary zeroG, and Marcel Kling, head of the SMILE personalization program in the Lufthansa Group. Other customers will also have the opportunity to speak and report on successful projects, including Avianca Holdings and Pegasus Airlines. The next two and a half days will be devoted to some 80 lectures and workshops as well as personal conversations with product experts and other airlines. Attendees can put together their own individual program from a comprehensive range of topics.

The focus is on new product developments and innovations in the NetLine product family, which will be presented by experts from Lufthansa Systems and its industry partners. These include current research findings from the field of robust flight planning and the new Lufthansa Systems Analytical Platform. Consulting services relating to the new GDPR, among other things, are also on the agenda.

“At the Airline Forum, we want to show our customers how we are transforming our products and solutions using new technologies. And we want to talk about the challenges facing airlines in their digital transformation. We look forward to a lively conversation,” said Stefan Auerbach, CEO of Lufthansa Systems.

There will be ample opportunity for discussion particularly in the Garden of Transformation. This is where Airline Forum participants can try out the product innovations for themselves with live demos and talk to experts right after the sessions. Their feedback is critical to the further optimization of products.

Further convergence of successful Lido product lines from airline IT specialist

Raunheim | October 26, 2017–Lufthansa Systems today announced that it is developing a new generation of flight planning and navigation solutions following the slogan #takeoffwithlido. The proven Lido/Flight 4D (flight planning), Lido/Navigation (navigation solutions) and Lido/Performance (flight performance calculation) product lines will become even more integrated, providing airlines a seamless digital process across all flight operations – from flight planning to an aircraft’s parking position at its destination. Lufthansa Systems emphasizes its role as a market player that is independent from aircraft manufacturers, which enables it to offer a standardized solution for all of an airline’s different aircraft types.

“Digitalization is affecting the entire aviation industry. We see this in the flight planning and navigation process in particular. Everything is becoming increasingly dynamic and data-driven. Paper maps are being replaced by state-of-the-art apps. New technologies such as in-flight connectivity offer the opportunity to display tactical real-time data such as weather, airspace and traffic information. This is precisely where our integrated Lido solutions come in,” explained Dr. Bernd Jurisch, who took over as Head of the Lido product lines at Lufthansa Systems in October.

The mutual exchange of data is a key benefit to using Lido products for flight planning and navigation. This is because Lido provides the same information to everyone involved in flight operations – both in the air and on the ground – in situations such as an approach with poor visibility, for example. The information seen by pilots on their Lido/Navigation maps is based on the same data as the information available to the flight planner. This means the pilot and flight planner can coordinate the minimal decision height more safely and efficiently when choosing an alternate airport and make well-founded decisions in critical situations – such as whether a landing should be aborted or not.

The shared database is also used when acute meteorological phenomena demand a change to the planned route. New information can also be conveyed to pilots immediately during a flight. All of this not only saves time, it also improves safety.

During normal flight operations, too, the solutions work together seamlessly. Dispatchers can use Lido/Flight 4D to calculate the best route for a specific flight based on all flight-related data. Pilots can access this briefing information online. Thanks to the seamless integration of the products, Chart Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) can also be added to the flight plans of Lido/Flight 4D. At the same time, information from the ATS flight plan can be uploaded and displayed in the mobile map solution that the pilots use for navigation. This covers departure, destination and alternate airports, takeoff and landing procedures, and waypoints along the route.

Lufthansa Systems additionally offers solutions for calculating and monitoring flight performance. These help airlines keep track of the continually changing obstacle situation at airports so they can adapt their departure procedures accordingly and optimize their fuel consumption for flight planning. The Lido product suite thus offers the perfect portfolio for an airline’s entire flight operations.

Overview of the Lido product suite:

Lido/Flight 4D

Lido/Flight 4D – Flight planning solution

Lido/Performance

Lido/AirportObstacleData – Airport-specific obstacle database with departure procedures
Lido/TakeOff & Lido/Landing – Calculation of optimal flight performance for takeoff and landing
Lido/APM – Service for comparing target/actual performance data (aircraft performance monitoring)

Lido/Navigation

Lido/FMS – Navigation data for flight management systems
Lido/SkyData – ARINC 424 data
Lido/SurfaceData – Full-coverage obstacle database
Lido/RouteManual – Paper-based navigation maps
Lido/eRouteManual – Windows-based app for navigation maps
Lido/mPilot – iOS-based app for navigation maps
Lido/AMM – Airport Moving Map
Lido/AMDB – Geo-referenced database for airports

The “Take-off with Lido” video describes the phases of flight operations that can be controlled smartly and efficiently using Lido products. https://youtu.be/RLFvM3iJsuQ

Caption (Copyright: Lufthansa Systems): The Lido product suite from Lufthansa Systems offers the perfect solution for every phase of flight operations – from gate to gate.

More information on the Lido product suite can be found online at

https://www.lhsystems.com/solutions/flight-navigation-solutions

From personalizing the travel experience to big data, improved efficiency and new dynamic distribution standards – Lufthansa Systems supports airlines on every level of digital transformation

Raunheim, Germany | February 16, 2017– Everyone is talking about digitalization. Many companies are wondering how to future-proof themselves in the digital world. Lufthansa Systems turned this vision into reality a long time ago. For years, the aviation IT specialist has been advising and supporting airlines in their digital transformation, demonstrating what sustainable airline processes can look like and helping customers implement concrete projects.

“The core of our company strategy is to put airlines in a perfect position for the digital future. For example, we have spent over 15 years helping airlines work toward a paperless flight deck,” said Olivier Krüger, CEO of Lufthansa Systems. “We are offering new solutions and expanding our consulting unit in response to growing demand in the market. In keeping with this, we are continually enhancing our digital expertise so we can develop innovative solutions for the entire cosmos of an airline and its passengers – with data analytics, personalization, mobility and new developments such as eye tracking and dynamic navigation maps.”

The spectrum includes solutions and consulting services for improving the efficiency and differentiation of all aspects of an airline as well as for optimizing the entire travel chain for passengers.

Personalized Air Travel Services: Personalized solutions aim to enhance the passenger travel experience. New digital and individual services and apps, which can be used before, during and after a flight, ensure that passengers are addressed directly and personally. BoardConnect is one example. This digital platform enables passengers to access wireless inflight entertainment on their own smartphones and tablets, while offering additional functionalities for flight deck and cabin crews – with or without an Internet connection. The new inTime app is another example. It calculates how much time passengers will need to reach their gate punctually from their current location. Both the traffic situation outside the airport and the waiting times at check-in and security are taken into account here. The timings are based on (anonymized) data from real passengers, so the app gets more intelligent over time.

Dynamic Distribution Management: Dynamic distribution management makes it possible for airlines to increase their revenues by offering ticket and service packages directly to travelers. The New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is promoting this development and significantly affecting the distribution structures of airlines. Together with partners, Lufthansa Systems provides solutions for the entire NDC process, including offer and order management, dynamic pricing, and billing with the Sirax/RA revenue accounting solution. Airlines benefit from improved customer loyalty through more individualized offers, with lower distribution costs and higher revenues.

Safe & Efficient Flight Operations: Optimization and efficiency in all aspects of flight operations are the crucial aspects here. Simplified processes, improved routes, reduced fuel consumption and shorter handling times (including for crews and maintenance work) not only generate considerable savings potential, they also increase flight safety. For example, the digital navigation maps of the Lido/Navigation product line are becoming more and more dynamic. In the near future, they will be able to seamlessly display all flight processes from gate to gate. With an on-board Internet connection, additional smart functions in the maps can show information that is relevant to specific situations during a flight. This increases the pilots’ situational awareness.

Reliable Air Travel Experience: New developments in the field of flight operations revolve around passengers and their positive travel experience. If disruptions or delays do occur, these solutions aim to minimize the negative effects on passengers and communicate changes in a transparent way. This is essential to an airline’s success. The successful NetLine/Ops ++ operations control solution helps here with its innovative eye-tracking feature. Employees in an operations control center sometimes have to monitor six screens showing current flights and information about potential disturbances. Analyzing the eye movements of operations controllers with the help of eye-tracking technology ensures that no important warnings or disruption notifications are overlooked.

“In light of the growing importance of digital solutions in the aviation industry – including in the areas of data sharing, analytics and prediction – we founded a company last year called zeroG,” said Lufthansa Systems CEO Stefan Auerbach. “zeroG is a consulting firm with the character of a start-up which can respond quickly and flexibly to changes in the market. With their expertise in IT and aviation, our zeroG consultants support digitalization projects inside and outside of the Lufthansa Group.”

The attached infographic provides an overview of current digitalization projects and innovative solutions. Excerpts can be provided upon request. An animated version of the infographic for digital use can be found on YouTube. (Copyright: Lufthansa Systems)

More information about Lufthansa Systems’ digitalization expertise is available online: www.lhsystems.com or on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/LHsystems

Singapore, APEX EXPO | October 25, 2016–
PXCom officially launches its Digital Inflight Ad-Serving solution called AirSAS at APEX EXPO 2016, and unveils the first KPIs
AirSAS enables brands to roll out their digital campaign throughout the IFE, without any required connectivity or bandwidth consumption, disrupting in- flight legacy advertising.

Until now, brands who wanted to reach the traveller during their flight had only the choice between paper inflight mag, global pre-roll videos, stickers… Whilst traditional advertising budgets are continuously tightening, digital budgets remain on a fast growing trend.
PXCom and its media sales partner, IMM International, decided to bring to the air industry an effective tool enabling airlines to tap into this growing gold mine, creating AirSAS.

The ultimate inflight digital ad-serving solution
Designed for both seatback screens and w-IFE, AirSAS is formed of several software modules: a back-office cloud suite, a dedicated IFE ad-server, and a reporting module.

The back-office encompasses campaigns management for both brands (from creation to reports edition), and airlines (enabling advertisers selection as well as self-promotion). Once created, the digital campaigns are either sent to PXCom’s IFE ad-serving module or to other connected IFE ad-servers developed by the IFE manufacturers themselves. The upload operation is conducted when the aircraft are on the ground. During the flight the ad-server rolls out the campaigns according to their management rules, and the gathered data are offloaded once the aircraft are back on the ground. Then the reporting module aggregates all the gathered data in order to update the campaigns.

“AirSAS offers the state-of-the-art features that can be found on the most accurate web/mobile ad-servers, enabling full targeting and rules management capabilities”, says Cyril JEAN, PXCom’s CEO. “However, some IFE systems already offer some digital advertising opportunities, even if they are not comprehensive. Since we are platform agnostic, in such case, we recommend to proceed step by step, and connect our back office as a good starting point. Then, on a second step, we can schedule a full integration of AirSAS into the IFE. Our ultimate goal is to enable brands to target passengers and no longer airlines. This involves a great shift of mind from the industry!”

First results and live update
Prior to launch AirSAS officially, PXCom has conducted some tests within its interactive destination guides for IFEC, measuring all the relevant KPIs, among them:

• An average of 23% of w-IFE users go to Destination Guides section
• 89% spend more than 11 minutes on a destination guide
• 16 minutes of average browsing time for a 2-hour flight / 28 minutes for a 4-hour flight.
• Top 3 sections are: Do&See (37%), Bars & Nightlife (14%), Restaurants (13%)
  (Full results will be available online during the expo).

Full AirSAS solution is currently onboarding on its first airlines, with operational live report which updates the results between every 3 and 24 hours according to the considered airline and flight length. Stay tuned!

“The loop is now seamless and fully operational”, comments Cyril JEAN. “With a growing number of advertisers, the next step for AirSAS is the yield management feature, enabling automatic selection of the most profitable campaigns. With such a qualified audience, airline industry can easily avoid the digital pitfalls that has been digged by the real time biding (RTB) on the web & mobile.”

PXCom exhibits on #1120 at APEX Expo 2016.

• Led by Astronics’ PXIe-6943 Digital Test Instrument, the new suite offers TPS-compatible solutions that deliver familiar, fast development paths for both legacy and new military/aerospace programs

Anaheim, California | September 13, 2016– AUTOTESTCON – NI (Nasdaq: NATI) and Astronics Test Systems, Inc., (ATS) a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO), today announced the Astronics PXIe-6943 Digital Test Instrument, Astronics PXIe-3352 Rubidium Clock Source and Astronics PXIe-1209 Pulse Pattern Generator. The three new test instruments accompany the previously released Astronics PXIe- 2461 Frequency Time Interval Counter and are the latest products from NI and Astronics’ collaboration to provide PXI-based instruments with test program set-(TPS-) compatible software for existing VXI instruments.

“The challenge of lowering cost and preserving legacy investment in the face of rapid technology change requires industry collaborations for success and attention to software compatibility,”

said Luke Schreier, director of automated test product marketing at NI. “The NI investment in LabVIEW and PXI produces cutting-edge capability, such as the recently released second- generation vector signal transceiver (VST), which is enhanced by Astronics’ expertise in TPS integration to migrate key legacy technologies to the PXI platform. The NI and Astronics’ collaboration builds on the strengths of both companies, but more importantly, it preserves technology investment for our mutual customers and fosters innovation.”

The flagship product of the collaboration is the -2 to 7 V, 200 MB/s Astronics PXIe-6943 Digital Test Instrument. The Astronics PXIe-6943 is modeled after the highly successful VXI-based Astronics T940 Digital Resource Modules, which enable pattern-based digital test in many commercial and government programs. These instruments are also TPS-compatible with legacy instruments from Astronics as well as other instrument vendors.

“Digital subsystems continue to play a crucial role in most aerospace and defense test platforms,” said Brian Price, executive vice president and general manager at ATS. “With the introduction of these new Astronics PXI Express products, engineers can now expand on today’s test platforms to support tomorrow’s military/aerospace requirements and maintain their original TPS investments. Our new digital subsystem includes the latest parallel digital, serial and bus protocols while taking advantage of the high speed, small size and lower cost of the PXI platform. These PXI instruments round out our already successful line of VXI instruments so that we can continue supporting the aerospace and defense automated test systems of yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Also newly introduced, the Astronics PXIe-3352 Rubidium Clock Source combines a rubidium oscillator with a GPS receiver into a single, high-precision instrument. The new Astronics PXIe- 1209 Pulse Pattern Generator is a high-performance, 2-channel, 100 MHz pulse generator that delivers dual independent pulse generation with extremely high resolution.

These products will be sold through the NI sales channel, which provides direct sales operations in more than 60 countries with more than 1,400 field and support engineers worldwide.

Both companies are showcasing their latest innovations at AUTOTESTCON in Anaheim, California, through September 15. For more information, visit www.ni.com/pxi and www.astronicstestsystems.com

Arconics Unveils AeroDocs Enterprise, Nextgen Airline Document and Compliance Management Software

Hamburg, Germany | April 6, 2016– Aviation software company Arconics today reveals its nextgen document and compliance management software at AIX 2016.

AeroDocs Enterprise – Collaborative XML authoring, controlled digital document distribution, compliance management, enterprise security. A module of our Connected Aircraft Platform, the hardware-agnostic software solution for airlines that delivers the best user experience in the cockpit (EFB and document viewing), in the cabin (wireless IFE) and in Ops Control (document and manual authoring distribution).

The ultimate nextgen document creation and management solution is the leading choice for airlines that demand the the highest standards of consistency and compliance across the enterprise, and into the paperless cockpit. AeroDocs has been specifically developed for airlines that want to implement a controlled document authoring distribution system across the organisation, with complex workflow, user management and security needs. AeroDocs Enterprise harnesses the power of the nextgen digital document format, XML. The advanced Author module enables the fast creation of complex documents in XML format. Collaboration and consistency are integral and everything is so easy to control. The AeroDocs Distributor module delivers XML manuals and documents, and also distributes PDFs generated from any source. Regulatory compliance is made easy by nextgen AeroDocs, which has advanced regulation-tracking functionality as well as detailed workflow records and audit trails. AeroDocs manages the controlled distribution of documents to the correct people and groups. All distribution actions are stored for audit purposes. Integral to this solution is the world-leading AeroDocs Viewer, which enables fast viewing of controlled documents on iPad and Windows Surface tablet (web viewer also available).

Benefits delivered:

1. The creation of complex XML documents is simplified in an intuitive web editor that enables policy makers and subject matter experts to easily edit, review and approve documents.
2. Collaboration among teams helps to boost productivity.
3. Automated creation of indexes, tables and front-matter speed up complex document creation and prevents errors in the revision cycle.
4. Standardisation can be enforced across all documents with policy controls
5. Document readers get the best user experience with enhanced search and annotation capability.
6. Tracked digital distribution enables the transition to the paperless cockpit and operations.
7. Effectivity management allows the easy creation and maintenance of aircraft-specific manuals.
8. Pilots get fast document access, with lightning-fast scope search, across the digital library.
9. Pilot experience is central to the AeroDocs Viewer – annotations and highlights are stored.
10. Up to 40kg less weight per flight (Vs paper EFB), delivering significant fuel savings across the airline.
11. Greater fuel economies bring environmental benefits.
12. Regulatory compliance and audits are made easier, with records of all controlled document distribution.
13. Can be delivered as a fully hosted solution or installed on premise.

Oslo, Norway | October 31, 2012– A Norwegian airline and an in-flight magazine publisher say they will use WiFi to bring airline passengers new options in in-flight entertainment.

Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ink, which provides magazines for about 30 airlines around the world, said they would debut the new system next year, The New York Times reported.

Using Norwegian Air Shuttle’s free WiFi service, passengers will be able to access content including music, video and travel articles from the carrier’s in-flight magazine on their smartphones, tablets or laptops.

“We wanted to rethink the whole way we organize travel content, from the beginning to the end of a customer journey,” Stine Steffensen Borke, marketing director at Norwegian, said.

Norwegian says its free WiFi service is available on 80 percent of its fleet of 68 planes.

However, there are no plans at the moment to phase out the airline’s paper version of its magazine, Steffenson Borke said.

“I’m still surprised by how many people read the magazine,” she said. “At the moment, it’s still a useful channel for us.”