Page 24 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 Online Magazine

FeatuRe IFE

Unsurprisingly, the SITA survey also the flight and build brand loyalty. BYOD is a has made use of small chips embedded near
revealed that the move to BYOD accompanies key enabler, so it’s great to see both its rise each feature so no Wi-Fi service is need.
a rise in the number of passengers travelling and acceptance. Deborah Regan, Principal Investigator in
with smartphones. Of those polled, 86 As the digital revolution gains pace, Product Development at Boeing, said: “The
percent said they take at least one onboard, airlines are increasingly digitizing their vCabin is a great tool to test the inventive
a rise of more than a third in 12 months. crew. Once connected, the next phase ideas we come up with for future cabin
for airlines is to develop innovative apps improvements. We can get them working, put
Inflight Connectivity and communication channels, such as the ideas through their paces and get a real-
The shift to BYOD is a major game changer SITAONAIR’s CrewTab that allow cabin crew world evaluation of the innovations in action.”
for the airline industry. Seat-back screens with tablets to differentiate the passenger Regan also added that the network is
add both weight and cost to an aircraft fit. experience, enabling more choice and not connected to flight-critical airplane
Indeed, some national carriers have even personal and interactive connections. systems nor to the traditional in-flight
begun to remove seat-back screens from entertainment system.
some of their fleets. Boeing’s vCabin
BYOD also improves the potential for Boeing recently announced the testing of its Airbus ALNA
better inflight connectivity and a more new technology demonstrator, ‘vCabin’, which To respond to the growing market demand for
tailored passenger experience. Passengers could revolutionise the way passengers on-board connectivity, Airbus has developed
can interact directly with an airline social interact with their surroundings when an aircraft connectivity “platform” that
media team and information can be passed onboard an aircraft. delivers the full breadth of new connectivity
to cabin crew, who can then respond Engineers in Boeing Commercial services and that is a generation beyond any
accordingly – whether that be offering a Airplanes’ Product Development division other available system.
service or solving a problem. have created an interior mock-up of an Airbus pioneered connectivity and
This joined-up thinking also carries airplane cabin with an advanced, wireless was the first manufacturer to receive
through to building brand loyalty through network behind the scenes through which certification for its on-board mobile phone
tailored offers made to passengers based on new technology concepts can be connected system in June 2007. Since winter 2010,
their online behaviour. Passenger safety can and made functional. Airbus operators have been able to offer
also be improved with reports of potential Engineers testing the concept have worldwide broadband connectivity services
turbulence alerts being sent straight through been able to control personal lighting, via internet and mobile telephony. The
to personal devices. for example, using a smartphone. Other Airbus platform, called Airline Network
This understanding of what will be possibilities include ordering food and Architecture (ALNA), is the first connectivity
relevant to a specific passenger at a drinks, checking lavatory availability and solution available as line fit on Airbus aircraft
specific time, will ultimately deliver a more accessing entertainment content using and can be retrofitted to Airbus and other
relaxing and enjoyable experience during personal electronic devices. So far, vCabin manufacturers’ aircraft.
With this, passengers can use their own
wireless communication devices such as
mobile telephones, smart phones, tablet or
laptops to send and receive SMS messages,
e-mails with their attachments, access the

LeFt: Boeing’s vCabin could
revolutionise aircraft cabins,
with the possibility of the IFE
system being used by passengers
to order food and drinks,
check lavatory availability and
accessing entertainment content
using personal electronic devices

oPPosite toP: High-definition
video is now becoming a reality
with high-bandwidth fibre optics.
Airlines are already beginning
to upgrade their IFE systems to
cater for the demand for high-
definition video
24 ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA