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.”

 

 

 

As anticipated, the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) on April 9, and the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) on April 10 thru 12 were the IFEC big deals last week. Each year we attempt to give readers a bit of an oversight about this week dedicated to the aircraft cabin and all things IFEC. This year was not different and for this week and next week, IFExpress will cover the show summary put out by the folks who organize this incredible extravaganza in Hamburg Germany each year. In today’s issue, we cover PEC (April 9) and Day 1 of AIX (April 10)  – next week we will send out the summary of Day 2 and 3 of the Expo. Here we go! 

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PASSENGER EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE

Monday April 9,  2018 – Passenger Experience Conference (PEC), the industry-leading global conference and networking forum, returned to the Hamburg Messe, marking the start of the world-renowned Passenger Experience Week (PEW). Exhibition Director, Polly Magraw kicked-off the day with a welcome to delegates attending the Conference, which defines the passenger experience. Following this, Richard Chung, Vice President Innovation & Design at Adient  took to the stage to discuss the exponential changes that are emerging and converging to create new opportunities for the aviation industry (see image above).

One such change, is the future introduction of commercial space flight at Virgin Galactic’s facility in New Mexico. Adam Wells, Head of Design, talked delegates through every stage of the process of the journey of a spacecraft, including a video of a recent test flight where the spaceship reached 82,000 feet.

Closing the plenary sessions, Paul Priestman, Director and Chairman of Priestman Goode, discussed how convergence of existing technologies, including magnetic levitation, can facilitate new forms of transport such as the Hyperloop.

For the rest of the Conference, PEC delegates could choose sessions from three streams: Convergence and Mobility, Personalizing the Journey and Flexible and Sustainable Thinking.

Convergence and Mobility:

• From seamless urban mobility to the on-demand economy, this stream explored how cross-pollination between transport modes can enrich the passenger experience and create business opportunities.
  • Arguing that millennials prioritize access over ownership, Jönna Pöllanen of MaaS Global introduced their new multi-modal transport planning and booking platform, ‘Whim’.
  • Sustainable materials were the focus of conversation between José Rui Marcelino of Almadesign, Joel Fragata of TAP Air Portugal and Luciana Ribeiro Monteiro of Embraer, while the Head of Partnerships & Advertising and Head of Product & Customer Experience at Joon told attendees about their new products and services being tested by Air France-KLM.

Personalizing the Journey:

• This stream explored how connectivity and data-driven technologies can improve the passenger experience and enable deeper relationships between an airline and its service partners.
  • Nathaniel Giraitis of design company SmartDesign told attendees about Kite, a newly-conceived digital travel companion that could provide nervous flyers with personalized coping techniques.
  • Representatives from gategroup and Black Swan Data shared their insights on how artificial intelligence and data collection can revolutionize inflight food, while seamlessness and the harmonization of software and content were the focal points of discussions between speakers from Panasonic Avionics, Cathay Pacific, Gogo, Valour Consultancy and Spafax.

Flexible and Sustainable Thinking:

• Examining how flexibility can be designed into products to afford more options for airlines and rail operators, this stream asks the question about the role sustainability plays in this equation.
  • Christina Fagin, Industrial Designer and Circular Economy Expert at Grüner Hering, emphasized the importance of ensuring that products have a full life-cycle and that environmental disposal is considered in the design phase in her key-note speech.
  • Later speakers from Boeing, Recaro, Zodiac Aerospace were among those who discussed the ways in which modularity and open platforms can support a more flexible approach to cabin design and services.

Polly Magraw, Event Director of Passenger Experience Conference, comments: “This year’s agenda offered delegates an insight into the future of transport and the technologies that are driving change for passengers. Our fantastic plenary speakers transported the audience through space, supersonic and electric air travel – a range of possibilities that now feel closer than ever before.”

“The breakout format of the conference let delegates explore the issues that are driving change in their industry and revolutionizing the passenger experience. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who continues to make the Passenger Experience Conference the huge success it is today.”

The PEC is the launch event for Passenger Experience Week – which comprises four leading events in one destination: the Passenger Experience Conference, the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and, new for 2018, Passenger Technology Solutions.

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AIX DAY ONE – NEWS ROUND-UP

Tuesday, April 10 2018 – Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the world’s largest event dedicated to innovation in the in-flight passenger experience, kicked-off as world leaders in cabin interiors, in-flight entertainment and passenger comfort gathered in Hamburg to showcase their latest products and developments.

Every year, exhibitors choose AIX to announce new products and deals, and 2018 got off to an impressive start with news from organizations including:

• Airbus announced the development of a new option for A380 aircraft, ‘A380 Cabin-Flex’. The enhancement, which consists of a new cabin door area arrangement on the upper-deck, is available for line-fit and retrofit, and will be installed on Qantas’ current A380 fleet from mid 2019.
• Thales announced the expansion of its inflight entertainment portfolio with CORE and PRESTIGE, offering a full spectrum of solutions and services to maximize passenger satisfaction, loyalty and airline revenue.
• Immfly announced a new partnership with Pegasus Air, to bring a dynamic in-flight digital services platform to the Turkish Market.
• Panasonic Avionics announced the debut of their new airline on-board loyalty platform, called NEXT Loyalty, with Singapore Airlines as launch customer, as well as a partnership with gategroup on their new retail platform NEXT Marketplace, and an IFEC commitment from Turkish Airlines for 50 wide-bodied aircraft.
• Gogo announced that Air Canada has extended its agreement to install the provider’s 2Ku in-flight connectivity service on its Bombardier CSeries CS300 fleet, with the system to be line-fit during assembly.
• Global Eagle Entertainment has launched the Airconnect Go video-on-demand system portable IFE system for regional aircraft, which streams content to passengers’ own devices through Global Eagle’s Airtime portal.
• Geven’s Essenza economy-class seat has been ordered by Wizz Air for the Airbus A321neos it will begin receiving in January 2019.
• Acro is to supply its Series 3 ST seat to Viva Air for the airline’s 50 Airbus A320 aircraft on order.

Delegates to AIX were also able to enjoy the first day of a series of educational sessions in the Flight Global Cabin Space Live Seminar Theater.

Consolidation and the interiors supply chain: Panelists discussed how consolidation among the cabin supply chain could provide an opportunity for agile new suppliers to enter the market, as well as the demand on suppliers to boost production while reorganizing supply chains.

The future of IFE: The panel of airlines and technology providers discussed the need for airlines to have the flexibility to provide choice to the passenger, with platforms that adapt to meet the fast pace of technology development. The need for robust and stable connections for streaming in the air to meet passenger demand is critical, with embedded IFE, wireless IFE and connectivity all being part of the future mix.

Flight Ascend Market Outlook Briefing: This briefing assessed where the industry is in the demand cycle. It examined whether Airbus and Boeing are on track to hit their ambitious production-rate targets and what the prospects are for new market entrants such as the C-Series, C919 and MC-21, and new product studies such as the Boeing NMA.

AIX’s Exhibition Director, Polly Magraw, comments: “AIX 2018 has launched with a busy and exciting day. It has been inspiring to see all the amazing innovations our exhibitors are showcasing and how they are bringing to life some of the key themes around the passenger experience we heard about in Monday’s Passenger Experience Conference.

Aircraft Interiors Expo is co-located with World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and, new for 2018, Passenger Technology Solutions (PTS). Along with the Passenger Experience Conference the three expos make up Passenger Experience Week.

For further information please follow this link to Aircraft Interiors Expo

Hamburg, DE | April 3, 2017– Dozens of thought leaders and industry figureheads came together today to discuss the latest ideas and innovations shaping the passenger experience industry at the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC).

The annual event marks the start of Passenger Experience Week, hosted at the Hamburg Messe, which also encompasses Aircraft Interiors Expo and the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo.

New to the PEC this year was the Airline Breakfast Forum. The forum presented an opportunity for airline attendees to debate informally and to share industry best practice insights. Those who attended were welcomed by a keynote from Jeff James, vice president and general manager of the Disney Institute. His inspiring presentation focused on the importance of creating experiences that matter for customers and staff alike.

Following this, an address from Dick Powell, Co-Founder and Chairman of SeymourPowell, discussed the concept that reality and ideas are utterly inseparable and encouraged attendees to foster creative thinking in order to innovate effectively. This inspiring and creative session was followed by the Head to Head with the Innovators which saw industry leaders from businesses including; Plug and Play Tech Centre, Swiss International Airlines and Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, share their experiences of generating passenger appeal.

From mid-morning the conference broke out into three concurrent streams, each of which analysed a different aspect of the passenger experience. The profiles of speakers from all three sessions can be found here.

Generating Revenue
The sessions in this stream took attendees through the innovations that are set to redefine customer expectations in the future and thought-provokingly encouraged the audience to disrupt conventional thinking about the onboard experience. Key highlights
Victoria Loomes, Senior Trend Analyst, TrendWatching talked about the trends airlines need to consider to create new digital products that consumers will enjoy
Nigel Duncan, Chief Executive Officer, STG Aerospace shed some insight regarding on-board discretionary spending and how aspects such as cabin lighting make a difference
John Baumgartner, Sales Director, Inflight & Catering, Gebr. Heinemann discussed strategies to ensure profitable retailing, looking at issues such as crew engagement and smart supply chain thinking

Comfort and Wellbeing
Focusing on passengers’ moods and physical reactions to their onboard experience as well as the learnings the industry can take from neuroscience, this stream enabled attendees to go back to the basics of human behaviour and apply it to the passenger experience. Key highlights:
· Dr G. Clotaire Rapaille, Founder, Archetype Discoveries Worldwide discussed the psychology behind flying, explaining that what people say about their flying experience is often wrong. He explained that the ‘reptilian’ brain often says it wants one thing – but in reality wants something completely different
· David Watts, Managing Director, CCD Design & Ergonomics talked about the British High Speed 2 rail network and those elements that will deliver a great customer experience based on passengers’ psychology and behaviour
· Avi Mannis, Senior Vice President Marketing, Hawaiian Airlines talked about how they have redesigned their cabin interiors to give a premium leisure experience to customers

The Connected Journey
This stream took industry attendees through the thinking behind the innovations streamlining the passenger journey from A to B and the designs revolutionising travel. Key highlights:
Loic Rigaud, Operations Manager, Peugeot Design Lab looked at the importance of connectively for car design in order to deliver the best experience
David Lavorel, Chief Executive Officer, SITONAIR discussed how inflight connectivity is opening up a stream of new content and services that consumers want to buy into
Jon Cobin, Chief Commercial Officer, Gogo joined a discussion about new revenue models for connectivity

The day provided many networking opportunities for attendees to make new connections and discuss the inspiring sessions with their industry peers. It also provided a platform for companies to launch new products. Notably, Hawaiian Airlines, revealed its distinctive cabin design for its new A321 neo fleet which will make its debut later this year.

The day closed with the Industry Networking Party which brought together industry leaders and attendees from across the airline supply chain under one roof. The event provided an ideal opportunity to facilitate new business connections in an informal environment.

As we approach Aircraft Interiors Hamburg we are seeing a lot more industry news hitting the airwaves. Let’s start by taking a peak at what to expect from AIX and PEC next month.

AIX & PEC

Polly Magraw, Event Director of the Aircraft Interiors Expo, says: “Since AIX launched in 2000 it has firmly established itself as the event that sets the agenda for the aircraft interiors sector.  At this year’s event we’re thrilled to welcome more than500 exhibitors including 55 new companies showcasing innovations to some 20,000 attendees expected throughout Passenger Experience Week. This outstanding year on year growth has led to the event becoming a firmly established event in the aviation calendar. We are excited to announce the growth of CabinSpace Live, a theatre style series of seminars where the industry can discuss key topics and gain inspiration from industry leaders within the IFEC and MRO sectors. The Passenger Experience Conference, part of the wider Passenger Experience Week, remains a central attraction and key event for delegates who want to get a comprehensive understanding of industry’s current trends and challenges. The packed programme for this year’s conference is rich in thought-provoking and insightful content with speakers coming from both inside and outside the aviation industry.”

AIX Overview: This year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) takes place in Hamburg, Germany from 4th-6th April 2017. We are, as always, excited to welcome over 500 showcasing companies to the Messe with 55 new exhibitors, many of whom will be in the IFEC zone. This rapidly expanding zone is now the world’s largest event dedicated to in-flight entertainment and connectivity and content and service providers making it a must-see for visitors to the show. With such a wealth of companies exhibiting at the show from the supply chain, technology and products industries and more than 1,000 airline executives expected to attend, the event once again promises to be extremely thought-provoking and insightful.

CabinSpace Live, a theater style series of seminars where visitors can learn and be inspired on a variety of pressing issues within the IFEC, Interiors and MRO sectors will also be taking place again this year. The event provides a fantastic networking opportunity for delegates to discuss key topics and gain inspiration from industry leaders and disruptors within the IFEC and MRO sectors.

Aircraft Interiors Expo also incorporates the 11^th annual Crystal Cabin Awards, which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 4^th April, with seven award categories that celebrate the most innovative ideas in cabin design and technology. The winners ceremony takes place at 13:00 within the CabinSpace LIVE seminar theater on Wednesday 5^th April.

PEC Overview:  New to this year’s Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) is the Airline Breakfast Forum. This is an exclusive event for airline attendees which will kick off with an inspirational keynote speaker from Disney and will offer content that delegates would not experience at other conferences. The event is an opportunity for airline executives to network and debate with their peers about the issues most relevant to improving the passenger experience in their business and to share best practice insights. The discussion will be led by an industry-expert moderator and the key issues for the agenda will be decided in advance by a poll of the participant airlines.

This year’s PEC program features in-depth breakout sessions, focusing on a different element of the passenger experience and providing attendees a further opportunity to discuss the industry with their peers.  The sessions will be split into three streams running in parallel; Generating Revenue, Comfort and Wellbeing, and The Connected Journey.  The new focus of these breakout streams, reflects an increasing convergence of interest among different airline departments.

It will host more than 50 speakers from both inside and outside the industry.  Speakers confirmed include; Delft University of Technology, Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, Gogo, American Airlines, Plug and Play.

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Inmarsat

Have you heard about the latest air traffic management research by Inmarsat who is provider of global mobile satellite communications? A new study by Helios and Inmarsat reveals that satellite communication has saved airlines more than US$3 billion thanks to safety and efficiency benefits. One single Air Traffic Control benefit mechanism, which allows aircraft to fly closer together safely, was responsible for savings of US$890 million alone. More importantly, satellite communication (satcom) in the cockpit has saved airlines more than US$3 billion thanks to safety and efficiency benefits, according to a study released today by Helios and Inmarsat (ISAT.L). Satcom application reference here is the use of voice and data services via satellite to communicate with aircraft outside the range of conventional ground radar and Very High Frequency (VHF) stations, such as over oceanic regions. It is typically used for air traffic control and airline operations. The inaugural study, conducted by Helios, valued the benefit of satcom to airlines between 2001 and 2016. It found that one single Air Traffic Control (ATC) benefit mechanism – reducing separation minima, which allows aircraft to fly closer together safely – was responsible for savings of US$890 million alone. Thanks to satcom, planes can now fly within 30 nautical miles of each other because of safe, reliable communication and tracking; previously aircraft were required to maintain a separation of 100 nautical miles. This allows aircraft to fly closer together and means more planes can fly in a given airspace, which is particularly beneficial over the busy skies of the North Atlantic. If an aircraft is not equipped with satellite communication capability, it must maintain the 100 nautical mile separation, and is not permitted to fly in certain areas. Increasing airspace capacity also leads to more aircraft being able to choose optimum flight levels, saving time and fuel.

The US$890 million saving is a major part of the US$1.1 billion total ATC saving identified by the study. Other benefits that satcom provides to ATC include:

• Individually-tailored flight plans that save time and fuel
• Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedure, which allows airborne rerouting of aircraft when data indicates a more efficient route is available, for example due to a change in weather conditions
• Tailored arrivals, where arrival times are planned to allow an ideal descent route and to avoid holding patterns
• Procedures in some oceanic regions to allow aircraft to climb or descend through an altitude that is already occupied by another aircraft

A further US$1.9 billion is saved thanks to the ability of aircraft to communicate with their Airline Operations Centre (AOC). AOC applications use real-time information to help airlines improve flight safety or provide a more efficient service at a lower cost. Delay management and scheduling is improved, fleets and flight crew can be better managed, maintenance can be taken care of and turnaround time on the ground is reduced. Traditionally AOC communication is provided by the exchange of simple text messages between the pilot and the controller. As satcom bandwidth capacity increases, bringing broadband connectivity to the cockpit, there will be an explosion of IP-based AOC applications, allowing airlines to further optimize flight operations and fleet management. For example, an aircraft’s health can be constantly monitored, and any maintenance issue signaled ahead to the ground crew so parts and maintenance staff are ready as soon as the aircraft lands. Until now, most maintenance information was delivered upon landing, with potential for delaying speedy resolution of an issue.

Broadband connectivity will also help with urgent ATC demands, as our skies see ever more traffic. By 2030, there will be more passengers in the sky each year (7 billion) than there are people on the ground right now. They will fly in 40,000 aircraft, the majority of which will be connected.

Further, the Helios study looked at benefits over oceanic regions, but it also highlights how satcom can complement existing ground-to-air data communications over land too. Savings over continental regions could equal those over the oceanic regions. For example, in the congested airspace of Europe, the Iris Precursor project has been established by the European Space Agency with support from Inmarsat and other aviation companies. It uses satcom to allow precise ‘4D’ flight path control, which optimizes flight speed and descent profiles. It is designed to dramatically reduce delays, particularly around large hubs.

Also, in case you didn’t know, Inmarsat pioneered cockpit data with the launch of Classic Aero back in 1990 and is today the leading service provide with 95 per cent market share. SwiftBroadband-Safety, its new IP-based broadband platform for the flight deck, brings aircraft connectivity to new levels. Always-on, always-secure high-speed broadband in the cockpit delivers much faster communication and a host of new safety and efficiency applications.

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Panasonic 

The recent lawsuit by CoKinetic against Panasonic caught our eye and Panasonic told IFExpress: “Panasonic Avionics Corporation (“Panasonic Avionics”) vigorously disputes the allegations made in a lawsuit filed today by CoKinetic Systems Corporation in the Southern District of New York. The allegations are without merit and Panasonic Avionics intends to contest the suit. This lawsuit involves a dispute around the commercial terms of a long-standing business relationship between CoKinetic and Panasonic Avionics. The timing of this suit is suspicious. As recently as October 2016, CoKinetic issued a press release praising its 10-year relationship with Panasonic Avionics. If, as the suit alleges, Panasonic Avionics has engaged in a “decades-long” effort to damage CoKinetic’s business, why did the company make such a public statement? It is important to note that CoKinetic’s counsel in this action, Todd Higgins, is also a former CoKinetic executive himself, which suggests a personal motive for bringing this lawsuit. Panasonic Avionics will seek the immediate dismissal of the suit.”

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Boeing Roll-out

Boeing marked a milestone today as the first 737 MAX 9 made its debut in front of thousands of Boeing employees. The 737 MAX 9 is the second member of Boeing’s industry leading 737 MAX family, with a maximum capacity of 220 passengers and a range of 3,515 nautical miles. The airplane now begins system checks, fueling and engine runs on the flight line. Once completed, the airplane will begin flight testing in the coming weeks – the final phase of verification of the operational characteristics and overall performance of a new airplane. The 737 MAX 9 is scheduled to enter service in 2018. The 737 MAX 8 is on track to deliver to customers in the second quarter of 2017. The 737 MAX family has been designed to offer customers exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range that will open up new destinations in the single-aisle market. The MAX 8 and 9 will be followed in 2019 by the smaller MAX 7 and higher capacity MAX 200, while studies and discussions continue with customers on growing the family.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 3,600 orders to date from 83 customers worldwide. While the video provided on Boeing’s website is a sales pitch, it is worth the watch.

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Other

• Robot Aircraft Assembly: And speaking of Boeing, if you want to see how Boeing is using robots to assemble aircraft, you don’t want to miss this video: Boeing: Mechanic and Machine: Boeing’s Advanced Manufacturing Improves 777 Assembly
• Solid State Battery Invention may improve safety for batteries everywhere.

 

• Defining the future of the global passenger experience industry

London, UK | February 10, 2016– Now in its fourth year the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC), the leading global conference and networking forum delivering content, driving innovation and developing connections for the global passenger experience industry, returns Monday 4th of April in Hamburg, Germany.

The annual conference will offer delegates a chance to learn from industry specialists and visionaries, exchange knowledge and engage in lively debates, centred on the future trends of the passenger experience industry.

The conference will focus on the three elements critical to the passenger experience, exploring opportunities to improve air and rail travel through:

· innovation of cabin interiors
· in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC)
· hospitality, service and retail

In-depth breakout sessions, with moderators including Blake Emery, Director of Differentiation Strategy at Boeing and Rich Salter, Chief Technology Officer of Lumexis, will discuss and debate these elements of the passenger experience.
Keynote speakers at each session include Garen Moreno from BMW Group Designworks, who will lead a discussion on ageing travellers and the digital age.

Juan Carlos Iglesias from Immfly will discuss e-commerce onboard in the IFEC session and Chris van Rÿswÿck from Pragma Consulting will explore the game changing ancillary to create a seamless digital experience.

Joining Chris to discuss hospitality, service and retail opportunities, Vassilios Georgakopoulos, Director Product Marketing and Michael Wahl, Vice President Product Marketing and Innovation of LSG Sky Chefs will discuss the evolution of industry and passenger needs.

Other experts speaking at the global conference and networking forum will be Ian Scoley, Vice President Industrial Design of ZEO, Zodiac, Niels Steenstrup, Senior Vice President of Global Airline Sales at Gogo and Alexis Steinman, Senior Vice President of Digital Media Solutions at Global Eagle Entertainment.

Katie Murphy, Senior Exhibition Director, says:

“This is an exciting time to be a part of the passenger experience industry and the Passenger Experience Conference cannot be missed. Travellers are looking for so much more than just a flight from A to B and the conference is all about defining the future of the passenger experience industry and showcasing what it has achieved in the cabin, in IFE and in hospitality.

“The experiences on board, from physical to digital, are rapidly evolving and the possibilities to revolutionise the passenger experience are endless.”

Closing the day before the Industry Networking Party, will be the highly anticipated Leaders in Innovation session where delegates will be provided insights on how to drive innovation from speakers Don Buchman, VP and General Manager Commercial Mobility at ViaSat and Michelle Lee, Director of Marketing and Guest Experience, Aer Lingus.

Following the speaker sessions, visitors, exhibitors and industry VIPs will also meet at the Industry Networking Party, providing a further networking opportunity with leading figures and decision makers representing the entire passenger experience industry.

The PEC will kick off Passenger Experience Week, followed by the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) and World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) from 5th to 7th April 2016.

AIX, now in its 17th year, will present the latest innovations, technologies and products in the cabin interiors, inflight entertainment and passenger comfort industries. This year’s event will host more than 60 first time exhibitors including Spafax, Comfly, Mirus Aircraft Seating, and long-attending exhibitors from 530 companies across the interiors industry such as Panasonic Avionics, B/E Aerospace, Airbus S.A.S. Zodiac, Boeing, alongside several others. AIX will also announce the winners of the Crystal Cabin Awards, who will be celebrating their 10th anniversary at the event.

Returning to Hamburg for its 5th anniversary, WTCE is the leading event for travel catering, onboard retail and passenger comfort. 2016 will offer a unique platform for professionals across the air and rail industry to source a wide range of product innovations from over 300 international industry suppliers including exhibitors such as LSG Sky Chefs, Global Inflight Products, gategroup, Albéa, Colpac Ltd, Anaik and The Bake Factory, part of the Crantock Food Group. With new products and fresh ideas for the onboard offering on show, WTCE 2016 will also host a wide range of networking events and demonstrations from world-class chefs.

Earlybird conference rates are currently available, offering delegates the chance to save over 20 percent. To book a place at the conference, delegates must register for either Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) or World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE). For more information or to register today, please visit http://bit.ly/1SZZPAx.