Page 30 - AAA MARCH - MAY 2022 Online Magazine

refueling and aircraft turnaround time. of the world’s commercial aircraft already have
connected cockpits, and that number is growing.
Weather Diversion Increased internet connectivity in the cockpit will
A pilot on approach to Saint John Airport on Canada’s east coast mean that enhanced communication and collab-
asks dispatcher Stephanie for permission to divert to Fredericton oration will be possible and more commonplace
International Airport because of freezing rain at the arrival airport across mobile applications that pilots use during
and low fuel. Seeing that conditions are also rapidly deteriorating at flight. Therefore, over time, the MCDU will serve
Fredericton, Stephanie advises the pilot to land at Bangor International more as a backup interface.
Airport instead. Now that it is clear that the plane will divert to another
airport, all ground teams are notified simultaneously so that they can Airlines can Turn Around
take immediate action. The crew manager can determine if an emer- Aircraft, and Airports Free Up
gency crew is needed, maintenance can check options at the diversion Gates Faster
airport, and operations can assess the impact on flight schedules. No There are many more scenarios where an inte-
stakeholder is left out of the loop, and one notification triggers all pro- grated communication platform can greatly
cesses to deal with the logistical challenges of the plane’s diversion. facilitate real-time collaboration between airline
and airport teams. Such a platform allows air-
Passenger Medical Emergency lines to maximize the use of available resources
A passenger on a flight from London to Dubai feels unwell shortly around the operation of flights. Pilots are apprised
after take-off and then faints. The cabin crew immediately attend to of pertinent changes coming from the ground. The
the passenger, who regains conscience after a few minutes. The cabin ramp receives advance notice of disruptions and
manager and pilot decide that a return to the airport is not necessary. can adjust accordingly. OCCs are more aware of
Via MCDU, the co-pilot then asks gate agent Ahmad in Dubai to have the communications between the pilot and teams
a medical professional stand by at the arrival gate for a potential on the ground. Overall, such a platform improves
check-up of the passenger. collaboration before, during, and after a flight,
mitigating operational variances and disruptions,
Ground-to-Air Communication lessening operational stress, and reducing fuel
Late Connecting Passenger usage. Airlines can turn around aircraft, and air-
Johanna, a gate manager in Miami, informs the OCC via mobile applica- ports free up gates faster. The greater efficiency
tion that three passengers aboard an approaching aircraft will have to has a hugely positive impact on their bottom
quickly disembark if they are not to miss their connecting flight to Sao lines. Passengers benefit because information
Paulo. Johanna provides the passengers’ seat numbers and specifies relevant to them is more readily available. Issues
that these passengers should be brought to the front of the aircraft are resolved more quickly and satisfactorily, con-
after landing, where they will get express connection cards from the tributing to a better travel experience in general.
arrival agent waiting by the aircraft door. Thanks to an IP connection in
the plane, the cabin manager can also view this message on the crew The Collaborative Approach is
device and prepare the passengers for priority disembarkation. The Part of SITA’s History
cabin manager then lets Johanna know directly that the passengers Industry collaboration and sharing were the
are all set. The passengers will make their connections. founding principles of SITA, and they remain a
key part of our business. The platforms and appli-
Gate Assignment Update cations we have in place for the industry are built
Ramp supervisor Kevin is authorized to send ACARS messages and for collaboration. They enable communication:
uses his mobile application to inform the pilot about the assigned gate globally, efficiently, cost-effectively. They keep
at JFK, which has changed since the plane departed. The cockpit the industry moving. So, it is also telling that SITA
crew can prepare accordingly before descending to New York. At developed its new collaboration platform, ‘Mission
the same time, the ground teams are also informed about the newly Control’, together with Microsoft. ‘Mission Control’
assigned gate. They can immediately reorganize the logistics, such as integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft Teams
making sure that the fueler and passenger assistance will be ready platform, part of Microsoft’s Office365 suite. By
in the right place. leveraging current Microsoft infrastructure with-
out the need for any ‘extras’ to support a separate
In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) Issue application, ‘Mission Control’ is easy for airlines
The entertainment system of a transatlantic flight has just stopped to deploy, access, and use via mobile phones,
working. In-flight entertainment (IFE) specialist and cabin technician laptops, and tablets.
Vernon, sitting in front of his computer in Montreal, sends a message
to the pilot, explaining that there are network problems and that the Our airline founders put into place shared infra-
issue should be resolved within 15 minutes. The pilot acknowledges structure so that planes could land in airports
the message on the MCDU and then apologizes to the passengers for around the world. This was already a brilliant and
the inconvenience, reassuring them that the system will be up again far-sighted thing to do in the 1940s – long before
in a matter of minutes. the internet and the concept of shared technol-
In all the above scenarios, the (co-)pilot interface is the MCDU because ogies and assets came about.
most of the aircraft operating in the world today do not have in-flight Collaboration is in our DNA, and it will shape the
internet connectivity in the cockpit. However, we believe around 15-20% future of the industry.

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