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experience for passengers around the globe"

12th March 2012

Dear readers,
 
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the APEX NewsDigest.
 
Consumers increasingly expect to be connected anytime, anywhere, including in the air. That's one of the reasons why the mobile satellite service (MSS) market continues to heat up, and why airborne communications stakeholders including Inmarsat, Panasonic Avionics, OnAir Honeywell, ViaSat, LiveTV and many others have ventured to Washington DC for the big Satellite 2012 conference, where I myself will encamp for a few days.
 
In advance of the show we've broken an exclusive story about how Rockwell Collins is no longer in the running to lead development, production and distribution of user terminals for Inmarsat's future Ka-band satellite-supported Global Xpress aeronautical services, after revealing that both parties have ceased negotiations. Also in this week's edition, we highlight the inroads being made by Arinc in its quest to break into the commercial airline market with an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-based Wi-Fi cabin connectivity product, which will compete head-on with OnAir's own Wi-Fi offering.
 
We know that the passenger experience extends beyond the cabin to the pre- and post-flight realm and so we've published a story from "Cranky Flier" Brett Snyder about the staying power of airport kiosks even in a mobile world.  Also be sure to read Will Horton's piece about how some elite passengers are questioning what their loyalty means to airlines.
 
As ever, please feel free to forward your press releases - and/or feedback - to the email address below.
 
Kind regards,
 

 

Mary Kirby

Editor-in-Chief - APEX Media Platform

editor@apex.aero

 

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Skyline

Rockwell Collins and Inmarsat cease negotiations over mammoth Global Xpress deal

Rockwell Collins is no longer in the running to lead development, production and distribution of user terminals for Inmarsat's future Ka-band satellite-supported Global Xpress aeronautical services for the aviation industry, as both parties have ceased negotiations, the APEX editor's blog can exclusively reveal.

 

"Rockwell Collins and Inmarsat recently discontinued negotiations on an agreement to develop a joint global Ka broadband solution for the aviation industry," confirms Rockwell Collins.

(continue reading ...)

TravelInkd

Arinc gears up for Cabin Connect inflight Wi-Fi trial with "major global airline"

Arinc is moving ever closer to breaking into the commercial airline passenger connectivity scene with its new inflight Cabin Connect Suite.

 

The company says it has received a healthy response to the product, which was introduced at last year's APEX conference and exhibition, and is in the process of finalising a trial programme "with a major global airline".

 

Cabin Connect operates over Inmarsat's L-band satellite-based SwiftBroadband aeronautical service, which offers data speeds of up to 432 kbps. As such, the system directly competes with SITA/Airbus joint venture OnAir's Wi-Fi offering via SwiftBroadband.

(continue reading ...)
IMS

Staying Power: In a mobile world airlines and passengers are still keen on kiosks

Beginning in the mid-1990s, airlines and airports raced to install kiosks - the first modern self-service check-in machines. For travellers, kiosks provided an opportunity to avoid long lines and human interaction. For airlines, kiosks were a way to reduce headcount and speed up service times. 

 

But in the second decade of existence, it's unclear what the future has in store for kiosks. Will they continue to hold on to prominent real estate at airports or will they fade away? If they're here to stay, what exactly will the kiosk of tomorrow look like? 

(continue reading ...) 

AFCA

Elite passengers question what their loyalty means

Passengers may bemoan airline devaluations as further proof aviation will never return to its glory days, but a move from Air New Zealand to allow all passengers to bid on equal grounds for upgrades saw its elite frequent flyers throw down the gauntlet, proclaiming the airline had infringed on a sacrosanct benefit.

 

One frequent flyer posted on the FlyerTalk discussion forum a photo of his cut-up elite card and asked who he should send it to. Another proclaimed it was "not a proud day to be a Kiwi".

(continue reading ...)
ARINC

Are US passengers ready for inflight mobile connectivity?

Board a flight anywhere in the United States and you will see mobile phones in the hands of most travellers. However, due to a regulatory ban on inflight mobile connectivity, passengers are not permitted to use their devices to make voice calls, use traditional text functionality or access data via GSM or CDMA.

The US federal government has long held the position that mobile phones interfere with the navigational instruments of aircraft, and prohibited their use. When the US Federal Communications Commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to drop the ban several years ago, it received a torrent of negative public comment, including from flight attendants who launched a dedicated campaign against the action. In-flight Wi-Fi use is permitted in the United States, however. 

(continue reading ...) 

CMI

Bizjet catering expert serves up bright ideas for business class

Daniel Hulme, inflight director at private aviation catering firm Alison Price on Air, isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers. Speaking recently at the Business Aviation World Conference in Cannes, France, the long-time chef told an audience of movers and shakers that when it comes to onboard food service, some business jet operators cut corners and don't know how to entertain clients, and that galley design is outdated and only semi-functional.

 

"If you're picking up a client in a USD60 million aircraft, why serve them substandard sandwiches," asks Hulme in an interview with Airline Passenger Experience. "And how can you cater to 10 to 12 people on a business jet when the small-sized galley [is not equipped] to provide the kind of service they expect on board? Why did they put in a galley straight off of a low-budget airline?" 

(continue reading ...)

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EIM March 2012
 

New Zealand's Flyhidrate unveils inflight beverages for passenger and crew wellbeing 

 

Dehydration, radiation exposure and poor circulation are three common physical challenges associated with flying. Nobody understands these effects better than the average Kiwi, who is accustomed to travelling great distances to and from New Zealand's fair shores.

 

Perhaps it is appropriate then that an Auckland-based company, Flyhidrate, has created a three-beverage product that claims to be "the world's most advanced inflight wellbeing system". 

(continue reading ...)
 ABC

APEX magazines and APEX News Daily now available online and for PDF download

APEX March 2012 Cover

 

The APEX Airline Passenger Experience magazines plus the APEX News Daily from the EXPO are available to read online, to download as a PDF or for download from the Apple iTunes store. 

Passenger rights - gaining ground or altitude?

On a snowy Valentine's Day in 2007 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, passengers aboard one JetBlue Airways flight were left sitting on the tarmac for 11 hours. 

 

This led not only to the creation of JetBlue's customer "Bill of Rights", but also triggered the pursuit of an industry-wide "Passenger Bill of Rights" by advocacy groups across the United States.