As airports strive to find new ways to optimize operational processes and operating margins, the power of intelligent data analytics is presenting a new business opportunity for airport management. vb dashboxTM is a new Vision-BoxTM application that leverages operational data streams to transform everyday passenger data into meaningful business intelligence.

Lisbon, Portugal | September 6, 2017– Throughout the past decade, modern international airports have faced mounting challenges, from ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing traveler risk, enhancing passenger safety, facilitating flow capabilities, and optimizing its operating margins in a highly competitive industry. While the multiplying numbers of electronic passenger clearance touchpoints are easing some of these pressures, the amount of raw data these systems provide to authorities are exposing a new business opportunity for a more efficient and expedient airport environment.

In announcing the release of vb dashboxTM, Vision-BoxTM, the worldwide leader in passenger experience and border control solutions, is addressing this opportunity with a powerful new application that reshapes and reframes the way airports manage real-time passenger data intelligence streams, transforming them into a holistic airport passenger travel and behavioral information data center. vb dashboxTM accomplishes this by improving the everyday decision-making process, operational performance, and cost control of airport management by enhancing the granular detail of the information streams and providing practical tools to drill-down into metrics and key performance indicators of all airport and passenger data.

Integrated into the OrchestraTM Management Platform, the new and innovative web- based vb dashboxTM analytics application is designed to harness, analyze and give meaning to this raw data, giving all airport stakeholders the ability to manage and communicate business challenges more effectively and achieve better operational results. Together with OrchestraTM, vb dashboxTM extends the overall value of Vision-Box’s biometric solutions portfolio by offering an aggregated informational view of the entire airport walkthrough process, giving stakeholders a detailed view of passenger metrics and displaying the data in smart, penetrating graphics, available on all laptop, tablet and mobile platforms.

vb dashboxTM optimizes this viewing experience by allowing users to customize their personal performance flow analytics display. The visualization is customized using a widgets library, offering the user the capacity to create a tailored and personalized dashboard suited for individual data needs and offering particular insights into airport operations. This provides a live operational monitoring of the entire passenger clearance process with remote process control and a holistic view of data in clear, easy-to-read, interactive, and real-time charts.

The simple to use, browser-based, drag-and-drop interface uses a highly responsive design that gives any non-technical user an effective and dynamic experience, instantly responding to changes in parameters by applying different filters to assist in narrowing down the results to get to the core of the smart data. This can include business intelligence parameters, technical solution performance and passenger flow statistics among a myriad of other capabilities.

Highly secure, vb dashboxTM utilizes a privacy-by-design role-based control of the analytics and management of the data, with access and visualization restricted to authorized users. With 24/7 access to in-depth quality data intelligence, including passenger trends, solution performance, and full operational control across multiple locations and devices, vb dashboxTM offers key stakeholders the ability to share files and charts across the business network via robust reports with powerful filtering and drill-down capabilities.

“Vision-Box’s mission has always been to assist stakeholders in the aviation sector to achieve a higher level of airport operational efficiency while providing a safe and effective product, reduce risks, and improve operating costs”, says Miguel Leitmann, Vision-BoxTM CEO. “With this powerful new analytical tool, Vision-Box is delivering on this mission in giving airport authorities the ability to leverage their data into actionable business intelligence and optimize their processes through better utilization of information.”

The vb dashboxTM powerful integrated tools enable airport authorities to harness intelligent data capabilities to drive operational processes and business decisions. The availability of real-time data overview enables authorities to stay on top of complex passenger relationships and processes, providing a live real-time system performance overview to drive better decision making, real-time corrective actions, operational and quality of KPIs, plus much more, with seamless data analytics.

Committed to innovation and change of the travel paradigm

Oranjestad | August 14, 2017– James Fazio, the CEO of Aruba Airport Authority, and Miguel Leitmann, the CEO of Vision-Box, announced a new partnership between both organizations. Aruba Airport Authority and Vision-Box have decided to sign an exclusive partnership for the further evolution of the Aruba Happy Flow. The goal of the partnership is to:

• Sustain the leading position of the Aruba Happy Flow in the global aviation industry
• Ensure the usage of leading edge Vision-Box technology at Aruba Airport enabling unique value propositions for the airport and high-profile recognition and showcasing for Vision-Box
• Creating a knowledge and experience center on Seamless travel

“The Aruba Happy Flow Proof of Concept has exceeded our expectations during these 2 years, paving the way for a new direction for the airport,” said James Fazio, CEO of the Aruba Airport Authority. “On the other hand, with this new partnership with Vision-Box, we are now very excited to get the opportunity to establish a pioneering Centre of Excellence, where we aim to understand tendencies, develop new products and technologies in a real-life environment and support local economy. This combined effort will surely mark another milestone in the development of the future airport. “

The partnership will profile Aruba Airport as an airport that drives change with passenger centric focus, creating value for their stakeholders and an excellent passenger experience. Furthermore, the partnership should provide skills development for Aruban and international students through the Vision-Box Centre of Excellence, while building a strong foundation for sustainable airport solutions.

Miguel Leitmann, Vision-Box™ CEO highlights that “This is indeed a great partnership. Aruba airport has already embraced the new era of the digital airport concept and it will soon benefit further from our game-changing technology for the Gateway 2030 project. We are convinced that this partnership will be the ground base for the next generation of Happy Flow, reaffirming Aruba Airport as an innovation center for passenger facilitation and projecting Aruba with a highly recognizable worldwide airport”.

The Strategic Partnership is built on four pillars:

• Innovation
Both partners are committed to invest in evolving the Aruba Happy Flow platform. New functional solutions will be (co-)created and assessed at Aruba Airport.

• Gateway 2030, first airport designed for Happy Flow
Aruba Airport and Vision-Box share the vision that the design of the Gateway 2030 project, should fully harvest the benefits of the Aruba Happy Flow platform as a terminal-wide solution.

• Centre of Excellence
The Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Aruba Airport is designed to combine the strength of Aruba Airport as a facilitator for innovation with the strength of Vision-Box as a technology innovator.

• Showcase
Aruba Airport and Vision-Box will realize a high quality and continuous showcase for the Happy Flow solution.

Aruba Happy Flow is the result of a cooperative consortium composed of the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands, Schiphol Group, KLM, Aruba Airport Authority and Vision-Box.

Vision-Box, the world leader in Passenger Experience and Automated Border Control solutions, reinforced its support to border control officials in Portugal, sponsoring the Conference “SEF and the Economy”, organized by the SCIF-SEF

Lisbon, Portugal | May 30, 2017– Vision-Box is pleased to announce its continuing sponsorship of the “SEF and the Economy” Conference that took place on 26 May, 2017. The conference was held at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences in Lisbon, Portugal, and organized by the Border Control Services Inspectors (SEF) Union, with Security and economic growth in a Europe without borders and SEF’s role as the event’s main theme.

The conference’s panel discussions explored various critical and essential topics currently affecting European borders such as “Investing in Security for Tourism Promotion” and “Security and Economic Development”. On-hand to discuss the conference’s main themes were several expert government and industry distinguished guests and dignitaries that included the Ministry of Interior Constança Urbano de Sousa, the President of the Portuguese Airline TAP, Fernando Pinto, the President of CIP (Confederation of Portuguese Business), among others.

IATA, the International Air Transport Association, estimates that the number of passengers will reach 7.2 billion by 2035, doubling the 3.8 billion recorded in 2016. In a scenario of very significant increase of international passenger numbers and a significant traffic entering the Schengen zone, measures should be taken in Portugal, but also advantage.

Pedro Alves, Vision-Box Business Development Director, at Vision-Box, explained «Portugal is becoming more and more an internationally desirable tourist and business destination. The adoption of border management solutions able to manage the flow of people safely and conveniently is of the utmost importance. A country’s image, its tourism and finance are intimately linked and are positively affected with the adoption of innovative technologies, modern processes and visitor-centric experiences The Vision-Box designed passenger flow management solutions, available in Portugal and many other border control points around the world, are just another proof that the Portuguese people knows how to welcome our visitors!»

Washington | May 2, 2017– Exhibiting at Connect:ID, Vision-Box has unveiled a new integrated Biometric Exit solution which allows border authorities to efficiently collect the necessary information to assist in identifying persons of interest based on accurate identity verification and rules-based monitoring of travel patterns.

With the tremendous growth of the number of travelers and national entry and exit points, many countries are vulnerable to illegal immigration, identity fraud, smuggling, or trafficking. All the while legitimate travelers line up in long queues to get to their families, reach their holiday destination or to get to their business meetings. At a time when security threats haunt international borders around the world, one of today’s greatest challenges is to find a pragmatic balance between security and facilitation.

An effective immigration system requires an end-to-end process that collects exit data and correlates it with entry data. The goal is to ensure that a traveler cannot depart using someone else’s identity or have someone depart on his or her behalf. Without biometrically verified exit data, there is no meaningful way to accurately determine whether foreign nationals have overstayed his or her visa. The challenge is to collect and match relevant data in a reliable and efficient manner.

Exhibiting at Connect:ID, in Washington, Vision-Box has unveiled an integrated Biometric Entry-Exit system which allows Border Authorities to efficiently collect the necessary information to assist in apprehending illegal immigrants and over stayers based on accurate identity verification and rule-based monitoring of travel patterns. Building upon the company’s renowned innovative approach to integrated Border Management and Traveler Facilitation, the system features a powerful orchestration platform connecting different land, air and sea border immigration systems with traveler- centric self-service touchpoints for biometric verification at every national Entry-Exit point.

An Entry-Exit system is, however, only as strong as its weakest link. As such, the physical touchpoints used by passengers must comply with appropriate specifications. The most recent self-boarding gate technology launched by Vision-Box paves the way for the highest standards in on-the-move matching accuracy and efficiency against biometric systems of record while adhering to pragmatic security protocol focused on facilitated travel. In the new paradigm, the creators of the first eGate in the world have taken it to the next level, seamlessly merging previously disparate processes into harmonized, efficient passenger facilitation with the benefit of biometric authentication.

“The successful future of integrated border control relies on stakeholders collaboration, engaged in the joint management of a privacy responsible ecosystem with the passenger at the epicenter, guaranteeing a sustainable, safe and effective entry/exit process, unleashing the power of biometrics to the next level”, stated Jean-François Lennon, Vice President for Global Business Development and Sales of Vision-Box. The company will be demonstrating the technological basis for the new Biometric Entry-Exit solution at stand #506.

• Seamless Gateway: What it is and why everyone will want it!
• Providing an on-the-move, contactless, and streamlined passenger journey, Seamless Gateway eliminates stops at airport control points and represents the next evolutionary step both in the way passengers interact with the airport and in stakeholder collaboration.

Lisbon, Portugal | March 16, 2017– Advancing the concept of the non-stop and contactless airport passenger journey, Vision-Box, the worldwide leader in passenger experience and border control solutions, in collaboration with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is presenting its newest industry game-changer, the Seamless Gateway, during Passenger Terminal Expo taking place this week in Amsterdam.

Already causing a ripple of excitement throughout the airline industry, the Seamless Gateway technology is the first-ever, contactless, face biometrics passenger identification gateway. Offering the highest security levels at key moments of the passenger journey, it is certain to change the way airports envisage their relationship with passengers by revamping the interaction between travelers, airport, airlines and border authorities in important ways:

• Provides travelers with a walkthrough identification experience, eliminating stops and direct interaction with officers. Identification is conducted in a few seconds, without compromising the biometric capture quality or matching accuracy of the single token.
• Features a full, contactless journey obtaining a facial image on the fly, while the passenger walks naturally, but without eliminating the travel document from the equation.
• Enables a streamlined, one-solution approach to all touchpoints, with the Seamless Gateway technology available to all travelers, adapting itself to each passenger’s unique behavior and features, and automatically activating alternative identification methods if needed.
• A seamless journey providing a smooth and continuously integrated passenger-centric flow, combining data from different systems to deliver the highest level of security and a modern travel experience to travelers. The powerful Common Use IoT platform, Orchestra, promotes stakeholder collaboration and activates actionable intelligence towards excellence in Airport Management.

How does Seamless Gateway work?
During each clearance process, a facial image of each approaching passenger is captured on-the-move, and matched against a traveler data envelope which includes the biometric and biographic details of the expected arriving passenger.

As a safe and proven technology for Automated Border Control, the system employs the highest security standards and operates according to international regulations and best practices, under a rigorous Privacy-by-Design architecture.

CEO of Vision-Box Miguel Leitmann highlights that “We are thrilled to be at Passenger Terminal Expo along with Schiphol Airport, our long-time and valued partners in seamless passenger modernization. This year, we are proud to unveil Seamless Gateway, a brand new concept that literally allows a passenger to go through checkpoints without stopping and heralds a revolution in the dynamic between passenger, airport, airlines and border authorities. This innovation truly is a stimulating new chapter for the passenger services model and stakeholder collaboration.”

While the Seamless Gateway links the passenger with the airport, airline and border control authorities, via a simple, transparent and on-the-move interaction, the state-of- the-art Vision-Box IoT Service Platform Orchestra integrates the entire passenger identification and Common Use flow infrastructure of solutions and processes, leveraging all traveler and journey information into actionable intelligence. Orchestra unlocks a unique collaborative management ecosystem for all stakeholders, promoting synergies, maximizing advantageous interactions and offering a personalized, first-rate passenger experience within the Digital Airport Program.

Wilma van Dijk, Safety, Security & Environment Director of Schiphol Group, also states “Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has been boosting innovation in every aspect that concerns passenger experience together with our partners the Ministry of Security & Justice, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Vision-Box. Now, to be the first airport in the world to offer a completely non-stop contactless journey and to demonstrate such innovation at Passenger Terminal Expo are great reasons to celebrate. For us, modernization goes hand in hand with innovative technology. The state-of-the-art Seamless Gateway supports us with our Digital Airport Program.”

Adding to the outstanding experience offered by this seamless approach is Vision- Box Mobile ID technology that uses highly secure biometric tokens for seamlessly, hands-free authentication in authorized IoT devices. The Vision-Box Mobile ID can be used to digitally store multiple identification documents in a smartphone to easily and securely network to numerous services while connecting various agencies and authorities. Using a network of IoT devices, each individual transaction is stored and distributed using Trustchain, Vision-Box’s cutting-edge approach to blockchain, which allows authorized IoT devices to perform risk assessments and estimate the level of confidence in the individual’s personal identity, based on the sequence of ID verifications in the person’s IoT history.

Visit Vision-Box Stand 10035 at the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal Expo for the unveiling of Seamless Gateway, the first-ever contactless face biometrics identification gateway. Distinguished guests and a large team of Vision-Box ambassadors are available for meetings and for a full, live demonstration of the new solution.

Come experience this revolutionary non-stop, contactless and streamlined passenger clearance gateway and see how it will change the face of air travel as we know it!

Vision-Box, the worldwide leader in passenger experience and border control solutions announces new career opportunities in expansion of operations around the world

Lisbon, Portugal | March 14, 2017– If you’re looking for a passionate, fast-growing company excited with amazing challenges and with a bright future ahead, don’t look any further. Vision-BoxTM is hiring!

Headquartered nearby fashionable Lisbon, Portugal, spreading with 8 offices around the world and operations in more than hundred countries in all 5 continents, the booming leader in biometric-based automated border control and identity management solutions, Vision-BoxTM, is the ideal place for career aspirations!

If you are wondering how you would fit in Vision-BoxTM, career opportunities emerge in various areas: there are plenty of open vacancies within the Software Development area, but also in the fields of Engineering, Sales, Marketing & Communication, Technical Support and Logistics. And not only in Portugal. The multi-awarded company has been growing at a fast pace in 8 offices around the world.

Requirements are different according to positions and geographies, but there are a few things all applicants need to know. Catarina Azevedo, Human Resources Director of
Vision-BoxTM, explains: “Our company is a truly worldwide team dedicated to a bold new vision. We look for energetic, ambitious and talented people that are willing and able to overcome obstacles, whilst developing their leadership. To shape our future, we need the best, most forward-looking and challenging talents in the job market.”

Why join Vision-BoxTM?

Vision-BoxTM is the happy result of the drive and skills of two visionaries with intensive experience in the science and technology fields, who in 2001 decided to take the results of their research to the ultimate test: the market. Today, Vision-BoxTM highly talented team accounts for many hundreds and has achieved the reputation of unquestioned market experts, closely working with and consulting Governments, Immigration Authorities, Airports, Airlines and other organizations challenged to improve identity management, by offering them superior, tailor-made Border Control, Identity Management and Surveillance solutions. Whatever the nature of the challenge, whether bringing unexpected innovation to the market, meeting the changing needs of our customers or the expectations of our shareholders, Vision-BoxTM has always reached for excellence and for a positive social change in the world.

Some of the vacancies are open in the headquarters in Lisbon, but there are also opportunities to strengthen the company’s activity abroad. The openings list can be consulted at Vision-BoxTM website and applications can be made through the contact: onlythebest@vision-box.com.

Vision-BoxTM is exhibiting this week at Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam, so it will be an amazing opportunity for candidates who are as passionate about the industry as we are to know more about the company and liaise with some of its representatives. If you’re visiting Passenger Terminal Expo this week, don’t miss out on the opportunity to know everything about Vision-BoxTM and leave your business card!

The company was selected by Eurostar after a successful tender process

Lisbon | February 15, 2017– Vision-Box was responsible for the implementation of a pioneering Automated Border Control (ABC) at St Pancras International rail station, at the French border:

• This is the first time that such self-service technological solutions have been deployed by a private transportation service provider for optimizing passenger flow at a border within an international rail hub.
• It also represents the first time that such a programme relying on facial recognition technology has been implemented for border control in France as part of an experimentation scheme.

The initiative, led in full coordination with Eurostar, the French border police (DCPAF) and the French Ministry of Interior, aims to maximise the speed and efficiency of the immigration clearance process for passengers travelling from the UK into continental Europe and the Schengen zone within a highly secure framework. It also represents the birth of a new generation of PARAFE, the French automated border crossing system that uses biometric authentication technology to verify the passengers identity at the country’s borders. The assignment of this project to Vision-Box is the successful result of the company’s application in the context of an open international tendering process mandated by Eurostar.

This state-of-the-art solution, which uses facial recognition technology, is designed to be swift, secure and deliver a positive experience for the thousands of eligible passengers that make this journey on a daily basis. With an estimated 20% expected increase in traffic levels in the coming years (and over 26,000 passengers/day at borders between the peak late afternoon hours of 4pm and 7pm), Vision-Box’s eGates allow Eurostar to orchestrate its passenger management process with greater fluidity and mobility while maintaining a high level of border security. Since June 2016, more than 500,000 passengers have been able to use the self-service eGates, having benefited from a speedy and seamless experience.

Mikaël Lemarchand, Director of Stations at Eurostar, declared: “Eurostar’s mission is to deliver a memorable experience to our customers. At every single touch point of their journey with Eurostar, whether in business lounges, on board the brand new trains or at border controls in our terminals, the customers are offered delightfully easy solutions. That is why we selected Vision-Box to accompany us on this very innovative journey. Vision-Box share with Eurostar the same vision of what an amazing customer experience shall be. They rely on professional and passionate teams who were able to understand our specific needs and match the highly demanding requirements of our Ministry of Interior. The results of this close collaboration are now visible in London St. Pancras, with the Automated Border Control solution in place enhancing the daily experience of our customers. We are now planning the next chapter to deploy automated border controls throughout the Eurostar network, in Paris and Brussels.”

Miguel Leitmann, CEO and Founder of Vision-Box, added: “Since the first day of our journey with Eurostar and the French Ministry of Interior, together in close relationship with the Border Police (DCPAF), we have been engaged in a enthusiastic, hard- working and intense multi-stakeholder partnership which materializes its apogee through the successful operation of a truly innovative passenger facilitation process at a landmark rail hub. The first statistics of usage are overwhelming in terms of adhesion and positive feedback of both travellers and Police officers. Once again, it is very much about creating a dynamic collaboration, facilitate multi-cultural understanding, and focus on the balance between two major aspects: the absolute need for higher security at the border, and a passenger-centric experience that serves the public interest to the benefit of our client. We are extremely proud to be part of this adventure, contributing to a safer world whilst improving everyday people’s lives.”

Concretely, Vision-Box’s vb i-matchTM ABC eGates solution has been deployed at St Pancras International as part of a Private/Public innovative initiative between stakeholders, for use by all passengers from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland over 18 years old and holding a valid electronic Passport. The automated gate solution, 100% developed by Vision-Box, ensures an effective biometric verification based on facial recognition: a swift and reliable identity check can be carried out between the passenger at the border and the e-passport presented, through a comparison of the image taken by the biometric capture device installed on the ABC eGates against the photo stored in the passport chip. This is complementary to the traditional biographic background checks that the Border Police performs based on different national and international law enforcement databases.

The gates function in a supervised, self-service mode, which can be overruled at any time by the Border Police officers in case a need to perform additional investigation work is clearly identified. The solution is therefore focused on increasing efficiency at the border, consequently eliminating any subjective aspects from the equation, thus improving the capability of the officers in their primary task of focusing at persons of interest. French Border Police supervises the process in real-time, thanks to Vision-Box’s vb inspectorTM monitoring stations, part of the vb orchestraTM platform which operates in a highly secure and privacy-responsible framework.

A new biometrics-based seamless passenger-walkthrough will modernize passenger journey experience in the scope of the ongoing Digital Airport Program
Amsterdam, The Netherlands | February 9, 2017– Representing one of the m os t expec ted announcements in the Aviation Industry, the design and deployment of a large-scale modernization program aims at facilitating the entire passenger journey throughout the airport for all types of passengers, whilst increasing terminal capacity. New technology will be tested from 2017 to offer passengers a seamless experience, increase throughput, eliminate bottlenecks, thus enhancing capacity within the existing footprint.

After thorough market research, Schiphol selected Vision-Box, the Passenger Experience leaders responsible for processing over 200 million passengers per year at borders worldwide, to take up the challenge. Vision-Box met the highest standards of know-how, trust and experience for the endeavor and will thus be responsible for implementing, one of the founding streams of the overarching Digital Airport Program announced earlier this year.

The framework agreement consists of a long-term modernization program that will bring to life a pioneering end-to-end biometric-based passenger journey. It is founded on completely redesigned, document-less, self-service passenger-centric touch-points. The program will transform conventional physical and psychological barriers into a standardized, yet streamlined, seamless passenger walk-through experience.

Miguel Leitmann, CEO at Vision-Box, stated that “We are proud to announce this real premiere in the Aviation industry at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Our commitment is to present a completely modernized passenger experience, based on a shared vision of the digital airport. The redesigned Schiphol Airport journey will offer the best-in-class human-machine experience, a memorable passenger-centric walk-through from curb to cabin and a seamless gateway into the future.”

News:

Lufthansa Systems

Brussels Airlines introduced a new passenger service system in 2016. To make its departure control and adjacent applications accessible from the respective CUTE systems at each of the airports in its network, the Belgian airline is using cFront/LAGUNA from Lufthansa Systems. CUTE stands for Common Use Terminal Equipment. This software enables airlines to make shared use of airport IT infrastructures. This means that different airlines can use the same hardware to access their own servers for passenger and flight handling. The cFront/LAGUNA adapter software helps standardize the different versions of the CUTE systems.

“We have more than 100 destination airports in our route network. As an airline, it isn’t possible for us to develop interfaces for every version of CUTE and acquire the necessary certifications. This is why we are relying on the expertise of Lufthansa Systems,” said Paul Rogiers, Delivery Manager Outstations/IT at Brussels Airlines.

For many years, Lufthansa Systems has offered airlines comprehensive CUTE services – from setting up the applications to carrying out updates and maintenance. cFront/LAGUNA was modified by the experts to meet the specific needs of the Lufthansa Group. The software is based on the CUTE solution known as cGroup. It accesses an airline’s IT systems in a smooth, standardized way and supports all leading CUTE platforms as well as the new standards for Common Use Passenger Processing Systems (CUPPS). In addition to Brussels Airlines, other airlines in the Lufthansa Group are also using cFront/LAGUNA. This means different airlines in the Group can benefit from a shared check-in system if necessary. Users can access the system from anywhere with a web app. cFront/LAGUNA also offers monitoring functions that provide an overview of the status at all CUTE and CUPPS airports and enables the responsible management team to intervene quickly in the event of a disruption.

“Thanks to the shared certification and provision of cFront/LAGUNA, the Group solution was already available at many of the airports in Brussels Airlines’ network. During the implementation, we simply had to add the information specific to Brussels Airlines. This saved money and ensured a fast launch,” said Bjoern Steinbrecher, Head of cGroup Solutions at Lufthansa Systems.

Established in 2002, Brussels Airlines from Belgium is part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of the Star Alliance. With a fleet of 49 aircraft, Brussels Airlines connects the European capital of Brussels with more than 100 destinations in Europe, Africa, India and North America.”

VISION-BOX

On a similar subject, Vision-Box also has automated airport passenger electronic control devices. We realize this is not IFEC, but  you are going to see a lot of this ground-based technology in the future. Since this technology free’s up a lot of people, border and airport automated technologies will increase for identifying passengers and visitors and a recent release about a Caribbean airport at St. Maarten caught our eye. “Juliana International Airport just upgraded to the new Vision-Box™ which is a self-service biometric Automated Border Control eGates intended to modernize the process, improve the security of the identification procedure, and expedite passenger flow at one more stage of the passenger journey across the airport!”  The news release went on: “vb i-match ™ ABC eGates have now recently announced a seamless passenger journey designed by Vision-Box ™, joining the existing vb i-match ™ security checkpoint gates installed in the first phase of the project. Together, these solutions are streamlining identification processes for departing passengers, when entering airside and clearing immigration.” We also understand that the arrival of biometric ABC technology at SMX (Juliana) Airport means that after successfully entering airport side by using vb i-match ™ security checkpoint eGates, passengers crossing the border will be able to complete the entire immigration process in a few seconds using customer-centric, self service touchpoint vb i-match ™ ABC”. Here is how it works: “Once at the eGate, the passenger will first scan their ePassport, where facial biometric information from the echip is scanned and matched with a live facial image capture of the passenger. Once all identification and safety checks have been successfully conducted, the passenger is allowed to clear immigration. At the forefront of modernizing the immigration clearance procedure is cutting-edge fraud detection and self-clearing biometric identification capabilities, using an advanced eGate security algorithm authenticating the passengers ePassport and identifying identity through multiple fraud and security operations, which just takes a few seconds.” We note that “Newly appointed airport ambassadors are there to greet and guide travelers in the use of the eGates, additionally to the support of a passenger-centered, expertly designed user Interface, oriented towards the success of the operation! Additionally, every passenger transaction is closely monitored by an immigration officer using vb inspector ™, a monitoring system giving the officers immediate information on each passenger’s identity and transaction status, detecting identity fraud, leveraging biometric and biographic information during real-time checks of intelligence and criminal databases, and instantly alerting border officers in case of an emergency.”

Editor’s Note: If you think there is not enough electronics in the airport departure and entry areas, you need to keep your eye on companies like Lufthansa Systems and Vision-Box.  www.vision-box.com. Here is another link about the coming technology.

APPS

We recently came across an interesting website about the use of Android apps for passenger devices.

While a bit old (2014 – 2015) we note their comments: “The average customer rating across Apple App Store and Google Play for the 12 major European airlines included in this study grew from 3.2 to 3.6 (on 1 to 5 scale) between January 2014 and October 2015. And you guessed it – this app stuff is getting a lot more important to travelers.

Airlines aiming at increasing personalization are aware of the importance of mobile apps. However, a prerequisite to unleashing new streams of ancillary revenues through tailored offers is offering an outstanding digital user experience.” The app importance is noted in the link above, but tnooz said: “The average customer rating across Apple App Store and Google Play for the 12 major European airlines included in this study grew from 3.2 to 3.6 (on 1 to 5 scale) between January 2014 and October 2015. While the airline average was around 3.1 to 3.6 (or lower) a reader sent us LATAM’s score (a few months old) – 4.0 Google/4.0 Apple – Guess who designed it?  If you said Zii, you win!

ZODIAC

And speaking of Zodiac Aerospace, Safran will buy them and merge the two companies with lots of financial machinations if all the business offers are accepted. In the end, Safran landing gear, nacelle, power systems, actuators and avionics would be combined with the Zodiac seats, cabin interiors, power distribution, lighting, safety, and oxygen/fluid/safety equipment.

Here are the involved Zodiac companies: Heath Tecna, Contour Aerospace, IMS (Zii), NAT, TriaGnoSys, PPP, and Greenpoint Technologies.

One expert said that the message here is clear, Safran see’s the future of electrical and avionic involvement in in aircraft. We believe, because of their native product differences, that management selection will be very critical as the two companies are so different and almost opposite talents. It is worth noting that the combined company would have about 92,000 employees and we understand Safran purchase is estimated to be approximately  $9.5 Billion. Interestingly, Safran attempted this acquisition in 2010. FYI, if the deal goes through, Safran will be number three Tier 1 supplier behind GE and United Technologies. However, the purchase is still subject to shareholder approval and if so it will close at the end of 2017/ 1st Qtr. 2018. Stay Tuned.

GOGO

Gogo announced that it has promoted Jon Cobin to Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Gogo. Cobin has served in a leadership position at Gogo for six years, most recently as head of strategy and global sales for Gogo’s commercial aviation division.  In his new role, he will continue to manage strategy and sales, but will take on the added responsibilities of managing Gogo’s product and marketing teams. Under Jon’s leadership the company has experienced numerous successes, including adding more than 1,000 2Ku aircraft to the backlog in 2016. “Gogo is at the forefront of technology development and innovation and combining our strategy group with product, sales and marketing enables us to better align the organization around meeting the needs of our global airline partners,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “Jon’s proven leadership makes him the right person for this role.” Congratulations Jon!

 THALES

JetBlue announced the completion of its fleet-wide Fly-Fi installations and they said: “Fly-Fi is the revolutionary Wi-Fi service offered to JetBlue passengers for free across the carrier’s 227 aircraft, including Airbus A320s, A321s and Embraer 190s. This Wi-Fi offering was developed by Thales InFlyt Experience to meet JetBlue’s expectation to offer connectivity services for every seat, on every aircraft. This service allows passengers to connect and remain connected from gate-to-gate. With the completion of these installations, Thales has again enhanced the passenger experience for JetBlue by providing high-bandwidth connectivity services that complement existing stored and live in-flight entertainment products.” For additional details on this service, please refer to this JetBlue press release.

GLOBAL EAGLE

Global Eagle Entertainment, CA secured a $500m senior-secured term-loan facility and a new $85m senior-secured revolving credit facility.

LATE PREDICTION

This came into us after publishing last Tuesday. It is a prediction submission from FlightPath3D: “We predict 2017 as the year the industry finally recognizes the PAX audience as the most highly coveted demographic for advertisers and begins real & sustained efforts to bridge the gap between them.”

A RUMOR

An unnamed IFExpress reporter told us: “Yesterday, I spoke with a friend of mine at (US) FCC and he confirmed that there will be organizational structure changes within. The alleged purpose is to “streamline” the licensing process. We’ll see. I have my doubts with any Federal bureaucracy. However, it could make for an interesting scenario with the 14 GHz air-to-ground license auctions. I suspect the license costs will go higher. Notwithstanding the purported organization changes, with every presidential transition period, he told me, from Republican – to – Democrat, or vice versa, or has about a 3-4 month period when almost nothing happens.” We concur.

LASTLY

You gotta see this – it might work! The Worst Seat on a Plane Gets Better: New Middle Seats

 

 

The joint initiative to transform Princess Juliana International Airport into a seamless end-to-end self-service passenger journey has progressed to phase two with the launch of Vision-BoxTM biometric Automated Border Control eGates.
Lisbon | January 23, 2017–On one of the premier vacation paradise jewels of the Caribbean, Sint Maarten, the joint initiative of Princess Juliana International Airport N.V., Immigration and Border Protection Services, the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM), and Vision-Box has been heavily engaging in transforming the airport into a world class Passenger Experience.

This commitment to reinvent and modernize Princess Juliana International Airport continues with phase two of the project with the upgrading of the airport’s passenger
immigration infrastructure, now employing Vision-BoxTM self-service biometric Automated Border Control eGates intended to modernize the process, improve the security of the identification procedure, and expedite passenger flow at one more stage of the passenger journey across the airport.
vb i-matchTM ABC eGates have now integrated the recently announced seamless passenger journey designed by Vision-BoxTM, joining the already existing vb i-matchTM security checkpoint eGates installed in the first phase of the project. Together, these solutions are streamlining identification processes for departing passengers, when entering airside and clearing immigration.

Chief of the National Police Force of Sint Maarten Carl John states that, “The main goal is to introduce an integrated passenger experience program that seamlessly streamlines the identification, verification, validation and enrollment processes in such a way that it positively enhances passenger flow, while maintaining the highest level of security for travelers.”

The enthusiastic arrival of biometric ABC eGate technology at SXM Airport means that, after successfully entering airside using vb i-matchTM security checkpoint eGates, passengers crossing the border will be able to complete the entire immigration process in just a few seconds using a customer-centric self-service touchpoint – vb i-matchTM ABC.

Once at the eGate, the passenger will first scan their ePassport, where facial biometric information from the echip is scanned and matched with a live facial image capture of the passenger. Once all identification and safety checks have been successfully conducted, the passenger is allowed to clear immigration. At the forefront of modernizing the immigration clearance procedure is cutting-edge fraud detection and self-clearing biometric identification capabilities, using an advanced eGate security algorithm authenticating the passenger’s ePassport and identity through multiple fraud and security operations, which take just a few seconds.

Newly appointed airport ambassadors are there to greet and guide travelers in the use of the eGates, additionally to the support of a passenger-centered, expertly designed User Interface, oriented towards the success of the operation! Additionally, every passenger transaction is closely monitored by an immigration officer using vb inspectorTM, a monitoring system giving the officers immediate information on each passenger’s identity and transaction status, detecting identity fraud, leveraging biometric and biographic information during real-time checks of intelligence and criminal databases, and instantly alerting border officers in case of an emergency.

Planned for later in 2017 as part of phase three is the addition of vb orchestraTM, a robust and unifying management suite that will give SXM Airport, Immigration and
Border Protection Services, and the KPSM a complete overview and control of the entire passenger flow infrastructure and security network. OrchestraTM will give airport and security management officials an effective tool for the proactive monitoring and risk-based assessment of passengers. This software engine gives officials the ability to enhance operational security, while optimizing the passenger experience through flow metric reporting and business rules configuration.

The full realization of SXM Airport, Immigration and Border Protection Services, KPSM, and Vision-BoxTM’s collective vision for a full self-service airport of the future will come to fruition with the installation of Vision-BoxTM’s Advance Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record (API/PNR) platform, thus delivering to all stakeholders the full benefits of an Entry/Exit system further boosting the internal security of the airport. The API/PNR is also slated to go fully live at the end of 2017.

Jean-François Lennon, Vice-President for Global Business Development & Sales of Vision-BoxTM highlights that “It has been an amazing journey. With the latest generation
of passenger identification technology in place, Princess Juliana International Airport will soon be ready to benefit from a game-changing asset made possible by a robust
orchestration platform and an API/PNR framework: the power of anticipation. The identification of travelers in advance will allow for effective situational awareness, for the detection of potential risk situations and for the activation of preventive measures, as well as offer a range of opportunities to leverage data, in a privacy- responsible matter, towards more secure, agile, and efficient processes.”