31.07.12 | Cathay Pacific expands flagship inflight magazine, Discovery, into a multi-channel communication platform
Cathay Pacific Airways announced today that it is expanding its flagship inflight magazine, Discovery, into the digital environment, employing a number of new channels to enrich the airline’s existing customer communication platforms.
Digital Discovery, scheduled to go live on 2 August 2012, will be available for download as a digital magazine, as an app for mobile devices, and for browsing on the Cathay Pacific website – cathaypacific.com/discovery. The print version of Discovery will continue to be available onboard all Cathay Pacific flights.
Custom-built for Cathay Pacific by the magazine’s publisher, ACP Magazines Asia Ltd, the Digital Discovery platform has been optimised for usability and functionality across all devices – from smartphones and iPads to non iPad tablets and desktop computers – to bring a fresh, bilingual approach to quality travel editorial.
Cathay Pacific General Manager Product Alex McGowan said: “As smartphones and other digital communication devices become increasingly popular, the launch of Digital Discovery is an exciting development that allows us to create and distribute engaging digital content across multiple channels, all integrated under the Discovery brand. This is a great way to enhance and complement the onboard entertainment experience for our passengers.”
The digital platforms offer a wide variety of interactive elements including embedded videos, high-resolution screenshots, interactive features as well as other exciting and exclusive content. Moreover, while the magazine can be downloaded from the App Store, HTML 5 technology is employed to ensure that Discovery will be available app-free across almost all devices from just about anywhere.
The digitalised content on the website centres on two key editorial pillars to provide passengers with useful travel information: a suite of snapshot guides to Hong Kong across a range of “hit lists”, including dining and hotels plus activity and entertainment options; and “new and now summary” guides covering 44 Cathay Pacific destinations.
About Discovery
Contemporary yet timeless, Discovery magazine’s appeal blends minimalism with a high degree of prestige to communicate to more than 20 million passengers each year and some of the world most frequent flyers. According to PAX, an independent readership survey of print media across Asia’s 10 most important markets, Discovery is the best-read of all regional inflight magazines and readership continues to grow.
31.07.12 | Astronics Corporation Acquires Enhanced Vision Systems Provider Max-Viz, Inc.
Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace and defense industries, today announced that it has acquired privately-held Max-Viz, Inc. (“Max-Viz”), a market-leading developer and designer of Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) for fixed and rotary wing aircraft through both OEM and aftermarket channels in the general aviation, commercial and military aerospace markets for $10 million in cash.
Additional purchase consideration of up to $8.0 million may be paid by Astronics if Max-Viz achieves certain revenue targets in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Founded in 2001 in Portland, OR, Max-Viz had 2011 revenue of $5.4 million and backlog of $3.0 million at the end of 2011, and is projecting 2012 full-year revenue in the range of $7.0 million to $8.0 million. Max-Viz’s EVS product line fuses infrared and visible imagery allowing real-time display to pilots for increased visibility in adverse weather conditions, such as darkness, precipitation, fog, dust and smoke.
“The Max-Viz acquisition fits well with our strategy to broaden our product and technology offerings to the aerospace and defense industry,” commented Peter J. Gundermann, President and CEO of Astronics. “They are a leading provider of EVS technology having earned FAA certification for installation on more than 200 different fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft models across various manufacturers. We expect that Max-Viz will continue its growth through innovation, quality and its solid pipeline of opportunities.”
Astronics expects the acquisition to be slightly accretive in 2012. KippsDeSanto & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to Max-Viz, Inc. on this transaction.
30.07.12 | Edelweiss Air takes Lido/iRouteManual on board
Lufthansa Systems today announced that the Swiss charter airline Edelweiss Air will use its Lido/iRouteManual navigation charts for flight planning on the iPad. This navigation solution optimally displays all of the information required for flight operations and provides cockpit crews with quick access. While the airline will initially use Lido/iRouteManual to supplement its flight preparations with Lido/eRouteManual, the Lido/iRouteManual solution will later be used during flights as well.
Lido/iRouteManual opens the way to a paperless cockpit for airlines. Carriers will be able to remove not only paper charts from the cockpit but all of their paper-based flight operations documentation as well, which increases operational efficiency and saves costs. The suite of applications consists of Lido/iRouteManual and a document viewer as iPad apps as well as a document management system in the form of a web service.
“We want to give our pilots an optimal working environment to ensure smooth flight operations. With Lido/iRouteManual, we can avoid unnecessary chart searches and updates and save time during flight preparations,” said Bruno Speck, Deputy Head of Flight Operations at Edelweiss Air.
The Lido/iRouteManual offers many advantages of Lufthansa Systems‘ highly successful electronic navigation solution Lido/eRouteManual, which has been selected by leading airlines around the world – and Edelweiss Air too. The solution includes charts for take-off and landing procedures as well as airport and seamless worldwide route charts. These charts are generated directly from the Lido navigation database, which contains worldwide aeronautical information and topographical data.
Edelweiss Air was one of the first customers to use the paper-based charts known as Lido/RouteManual. Edelweiss replaced all of these charts two years ago with the electronic Lido/eRouteManual and has flown with nearly paperless cockpits ever since.
“As one of the first new customers for Lido/iRouteManual, Edelweiss is a perfect example of an airline which has consistently used our continually evolving charts,” said Martin Rüschen, SVP Key Account Management Lufthansa Group Airlines at Lufthansa Systems. “Lido/iRouteManual combines the clarity and detail of our route charts with the flexibility of modern mobile devices.”
Edelweiss Air operates a fleet of two Airbus A330 and four Airbus A320 aircraft. The company has been an affiliate of SWISS since 2008 and transports around one million passengers per year.
25.07.12 | Panasonic Avionics Corporation and Intelsat sign exclusive agreement to launch industry’s highest bandwidth aeronautical network
Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), the world leader in in‐flight entertainment and communications (IFEC), today unveiled several significant advantages of its Global Communications Service as a result of its new agreement with Intelsat for up to 1 gigabit‐per‐second (Gbps) of capacity on the recently announced Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform.
With Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform, Panasonic is able to significantly enhance capacity over North America and the North Atlantic, which is one of the densest long‐haul flight corridors in the world.
In effect, Panasonic and Intelsat will create a Ku‐band aeronautical network that combines the industry’s highest bandwidth, and fastest possible data speedsfor passengers, with the economical global delivery of uninterrupted live television.
Compared to other high bandwidth connectivity solutions including recently announced Ka‐band networks, Panasonic offers up to six times more capacity in key areas of the Continental United States and across the North Atlantic. This translates into 80 megabits‐per‐second (Mbps) per aircraft and 200 Mbps per spot beam will be available to any aircraft flying these high‐traffic routes.
Unlike competitive solutions, this capacity is solely dedicated to Panasonic’s aeronautical network, and will not be shared with any maritime, government, military or other service not affiliated with the company.
The network also will leverage the necessary regulatory approvals to operate service that Panasonic has secured over the past five years.
With Panasonic already operating a global Ku-band aeronautical network, airlines flying these routes will benefit from increased capacity without costly changes in antenna equipment or unnecessary aircraft downtime.
Paul Margis, Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics Corporation said, “Our customers constantly look for new innovations such as broadband in‐flight connectivity that revolutionize both the passenger experience and the operational efficiency of their fleets. With our new high throughput Ku‐band network, we will offer airlines the highest bandwidth available, exactly where they need it most.”
Today, more than 1,500 aircraft have been committed to Panasonic’s Global Communications Service.
Unlike alternative in‐flight connectivity services where bandwidth is simply resold by the provider, Panasonic will manage the network, giving the company greater control over the quality of service.
25.07.12 | IMDC Market Outlook Report for Inflight Technologies forecasts rising annual expenditure on IFE Hardware and doubling of passenger connectivity equipped aircraft
The 2012 Inflight Technologies Market Outlook Report from IMDC (a UK based, specialist consultancy widely recognised as leading experts in market, economic and technology trends for inflight technologies and media) forecasts that Inflight Entertainment (IFE) hardware expenditure will rise to $2Bn in 2015 and that the number of aircraft equipped with passenger connectivity systems will double to over 4000 at the start of 2016.
The report also predicts that the disruptive influence of wireless IFE systems that deliver content directly to passenger devices will be limited by airline commitment to embedded systems on twin-aisle aircraft and by competition for onboard content provision from internet connections available on the ground and via passenger connectivity.
The IMDC forecast for IFE hardware expenditure shows that the majority of revenue to suppliers will come from installations on twin aisle aircraft where increasing deliveries to airlines will drive expenditure.
On the supply side IMDC analysts note that technology innovation will enable wireless IFE to increase competition in the sector and drive embedded IFE along 2 distinct paths: low-cost AVOD (which is more likely to be seat centric) and full functioned connected Audio Video On Demand (AVOD) offering live internet, TV content and passenger device integration.
Speaking of the impact of wireless IFE systems principal author Robert Smith said “Competition and new entrants in to the IFE hardware sector can be expected to increase IFE installations on single aisle aircraft, most noticeably in the retrofit market, whilst simultaneously lowering the price point for IFE hardware.”
However, the report is careful to address the limitations and challenges regarding wireless IFE systems, with content provision a key issue. “Delivering IFE to passenger devices puts the inflight content supply chain in direct competition with delivery channels on the ground where iTunes, Amazon, and Google are competing aggressively,” added Smith.
The report finds that outside of the domestic US constraints on the growth of passenger connectivity services remain but are not insurmountable. Encouragingly, data from airports and from connectivity service providers shows that smartphones and tablets are now more popular than laptops when passengers want to get online. These smaller, more portable devices provide an additional means to connect and are more practical and more likely to be used on board a flight.
The report states that passenger connectivity roll-out has not kept up with initial expectations but has a high long term potential and that suppliers offering international service and increased bandwidth to aircraft likely to benefit most from future installations.
“The benefits of passenger connectivity provision will remain limited if usage remains low but integration with IFE hardware increases the potential audience while innovative use of portals and applications has a real potential to offer an enhanced experience at reduced data-rates whilst providing a more subtle source of revenue” Smith added.
Information about the report is available by contacting outlook@imdc.net
25.07.12 | Stellar & Tune Box Launch Entertainment Partnership Onboard AirAsia X
Stellar and Tune Box are pleased to announce a partnership that provides entertainment on-board AirAsia X, the low cost, long haul airline of the AirAsia Group.
The first phase of the deployment, which has just launched, features pre-loaded content on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, powered by software developed by Tune Box. The next phase will introduce wireless streaming to be deployed across the greater AirAsia group fleet of 100+ aircraft.
For its role, Stellar acquires film, television, music, gaming and digital magazine content from a wide array of sources in a number of genres and languages and also carries out technical services that prepare and integrate all digital assets on to the Tune Box platform from its start-of-the-art technical facility in Kuala Lumpur.
Further expansion of the platform is planned, including additional airline deployments and installation in the Tune Group’s low cost chain of Tune Hotels.
Stellar Chief Operating Officer Michael Reilly says: “We’re thrilled with Tune Box choosing to partner with Stellar as their next generation entertainment solution launches. There are many opportunities to monetize and grow the platform and our extensive infrastructure in Malaysia makes the partnership a natural fit.”
Tune Box CTO and Co-founder Sami El Hadery says: “Tune Box is very proud to be working with Stellar, a long established supplier of content and technical services. Their reach with content, not only in Hollywood but globally, will be particularly helpful as we grow our content offering. Stellar is also a strong proponent of digital distribution, which is core to our platform.”
20.07.12 | American Airlines’ New Narrowbody Deliveries To Elevate The Flying Experience With More Comfort And Connectivity
American Airlines continues plans to enhance and modernize travel with today’s announcement of customer-pleasing interiors onboard its more than 200 new narrowbody deliveries from Airbus and Boeing – these are a part of the previously announced order for 460 new aircraft.
“We intend to be the only airline to offer a three-class service and the first to offer fully lie-flat First and Business Class seats on transcontinental flights with our Airbus A321 transcontinental aircraft,” said Virsab Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “By using the A321 aircraft with three classes of service and outfitted with fully lie-flat premium class seats, all-aisle access in First Class, and state-of-the-art amenities, we will be able to continue providing an industry-leading premium experience on transcontinental routes, while significantly reducing costs through improved fuel efficiency.”
As previously announced, American plans to take delivery of 130 current generation Airbus aircraft from the A321 and A319 variants and up to 100 Boeing 737-800s through 2017. American plans to configure some of the A321s for use on transcontinental flights and intends to use the remaining A321s, as well as all of the A319s and new Boeing 737-800s to retire aging aircraft in its existing fleet.
Designed in partnership with James Park Associates (JPA), the overall design, trim and finish of these aircraft will reflect the look and feel of the new American and will complement the interior design scheme of the airline’s highly anticipated Boeing 777-300ERs and redesigned 777-200ERs to provide customers with a more consistent experience between aircraft types.
In addition to modern interiors, these aircraft will also keep customers connected with inflight Wi-Fi throughout the aircraft; entertained with in-seat entertainment at every seat; and fully charged with individual 110-volt universal AC power outlets and USB jacks at every seat. Plus, Main Cabin Extra seating, installed on all new deliveries beginning in August 2012 on the Boeing 737-800, will offer the option of more legroom and priority boarding privileges.
All of these new deliveries also incorporate the latest improvements to reduce fuel burn which helps American continue on the path toward reducing its carbon footprint.
A321 Transcontinental
The First Class cabin will be outfitted with 10 fully lie-flat seats in a 1-1 configuration, giving every seat direct aisle access – a feature that no other domestic airline offers. Customers can individually adjust any component of the fully lie-flat seat, designed by Sicma, including the seat back, head rest and leg rest. The seats feature a large tray table and work surface and an individual storage unit for stowing personal items. Seat controls have a more intuitive design for optimum customer comfort and simplicity.
The Business Class cabin will be outfitted with 20 fully lie-flat seats, designed by BE, in a 2-2 configuration. In the Main Cabin the seats will be designed by Recaro and arranged in a 3-3 configuration. The option to enjoy more legroom is available with 36 Main Cabin Extra seats and the aircraft also offers 36 Main Cabin seats. More details about the Business Class and Main Cabin seats will be provided at a later date.
To ensure customers traveling from coast to coast have access to the latest in inflight entertainment, American plans to outfit the entire aircraft with seat-to-seat chat, live text news and weather updates, 3-D moving maps, airport maps, connecting gate information, and more.
For customers traveling in the premium class cabins, a complimentary inflight entertainment selection of up to 75 movies, more than 150 TV programs, more than 350 audio selections and up to 15 games will be available on a 15.4-inch HD-capable touchscreen monitor positioned in each seat. Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headsets will be available.
In the Main Cabin, every seatback will have an 8.9-inch HD-capable touchscreen monitor with an assortment of movies, TV programs, games and audio selections.
American intends to take delivery of these aircraft beginning in November 2013 through 2014. The A321 transcontinental aircraft will replace American’s existing fleet of Boeing 767-200s and fly between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and JFK and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
A321, A319 and Boeing 737-800
The remaining A321s, as well as all of the A319s and 100 Boeing 737-800 new deliveries, will enrich the inflight experience with modern technology and entertainment options for customers traveling throughout the United States.
American intends to replace its fleet of domestic Boeing 757-200s and MD-80s with A321s, A319s and Boeing 737-800s – all with leather seats, Wi-Fi and in-seat inflight entertainment throughout the aircraft. These aircraft will have a two-class cabin configuration, Main Cabin Extra seating and 110-volt universal AC power outlets at every seat.
Similar to the innovative inflight entertainment capabilities of the A321 transcontinental aircraft, American also plans to give customers onboard these aircraft access to seat-to-seat chat, weather updates, 3-D moving maps, airport maps, connecting gate information and more.
For customers traveling in the First Class cabin, a complimentary inflight entertainment selection of up to 75 movies, more than 150 TV programs, more than 350 audio selections and up to 15 games will be available on a 12.1-inch HD-capable touchscreen monitor positioned in each seat. Customers in the Main Cabin will also enjoy an assortment of movies, TV programs, games and audio selections on 8.9-inch HD-capable touchscreen monitors in each seat.
These aircraft will be delivered beginning with the A319s in July 2013, followed by the Boeing 737-800s in October 2013 and the A321s in the second quarter of 2014. American is still evaluating the specific markets these aircraft will serve.
American’s new narrowbody deliveries are part of a series of investments the airline is making to renew its fleet and an integral piece of the plan to transform it into the youngest fleet among the major U.S. airlines in the next five years. For example, in May American announced plans to redesign its fleet of 777-200ERs to offer fully lie-flat Business Class seats with all-aisle access, Main Cabin Extra seating, Wi-Fi and in-seat entertainment throughout the aircraft. American also announced plans to refresh up to half of its fleet of 767-300ERs to include fully lie-flat Business Class seats with all-aisle access and Main Cabin Extra seating. American also has orders for 10 Boeing 777-300ERs that are anticipated for delivery beginning later this year.
American’s fleet renewal efforts serve to modernize and enhance the fleet in order to emerge from the restructuring process a stronger, new American.
20.07.12 | Gogo to Upgrade United’s P.S. Fleet with Next Generation ATG-4 In-Air Connectivity Solution
Gogo, a leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer in wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, announced today that it has extended its contract with United Airlines and will work with United Airlines to upgrade its p.s.® Premium Service fleet to Gogo’s new ATG-4 connectivity solution. Gogo expects to begin installation of the upgraded equipment in early 2013.
Gogo’s ATG-4 technology is expected to enhance its existing air to ground network and deliver peak speeds from current performances of up to 3.1 Mbps to up to 9.8 Mbps per aircraft through the addition of directional antenna, dual modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies.
“Passengers on board United’s p.s. fleet have long enjoyed Gogo’s in-flight Internet service and these routes have grown to be some of the most popular routes for connectivity related services,” said Gogo’s president and CEO Michael Small. “By upgrading to ATG-4, Gogo will be able to better address the growing demand for Internet access on these flights now and in the future.”
United’s p.s. fleet consists of 13 Boeing 757 aircraft that operate between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport or San Francisco International Airport. Gogo and United have offered connectivity services aboard the p.s. fleet since January 2009.
19.07.12 | ViaSat Wins Award for UHF Satellite Network System in Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence (ADF) has selected ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAT) to supply the UHF Satellite Communication (Satcom) Mission System for its recently-launched UHF capacity on Intelsat IS-22. The system is designed to provide voice and data military satcom covering a region from the west coast of Africa to the east coast of Australia. The value of the award to ViaSat is approximately $35 million.
The IS-22 satellite launched March 26 with a hosted UHF payload – representing about 30 percent of the satellite’s total capacity – dedicated to ADF communications. The ability to serve small, mobile terminals used by ground, sea, and air forces in all types of terrain make UHF especially suited to military satcom.
“The Network Control System will use satellites in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to support the resource sharing partnership with the United States,” said Stephen Smith, Australia Minister for Defence. “The NCS will become a critical component for UHF communications for ADF personnel operating in the
Middle East.”
Partnering with Australian industry, ViaSat is responsible for providing a complete UHF Network Control System that includes system architecture, design, development, integration and test, site preparation, equipment procurement and installation, and ongoing support. The system is also designed to include the Integrated Waveform (IW) for channel control and network terminals, enabling an increase in channel efficiency and available bandwidth.
“I think our ability to deliver IW capability is the significant reason we were chosen for this award,” said Jerry Goodwin, VP Business Development at ViaSat. “That technology is something we feel is important to maintaining a leadership position in global UHF satcom systems and services.”
ViaSat UHF systems are installed in the U.S. and internationally, including Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
17.07.12 | Volotea flies with IT from Lufthansa Systems
Lufthansa Systems today announced that the new European airline Volotea has started flight operations with an extensive package of IT solutions from Lufthansa Systems. The airline will use the paper-based Lido/RouteManual navigation charts and plans to implement the tablet PC-based Lido/iRouteManual later, subject to official approval by the aviation authorities. The start-up carrier is also working with the navigation data delivered by the Lido/FMS database.
Lido/iRouteManual gives airline pilots access to professional instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation charts on an iPad. Updated charts will be provided for download every week so that the latest versions are always available for pilot briefings. The system is currently being used for flight preparation, but in the next stages of development it will be available for use during a flight as well.
Lido/RouteManual provides Volotea with navigation charts for take-off and landing procedures as well as airport and route charts. The navigation charts are generated directly from the Lido navigation database. They contain all important route infor¬mation such as altitude and airport data. Moving towards Lido/iRouteManual, Volotea will gradually be able to reduce its paper-based navigation charts to a minimum. Lido/FMS (Flight Management System) data support the autopilot on board modern aircraft and are the basis for optimal navigation. All navigation data, which are based on global aeronautical information, are updated every 28 days. Lufthansa Systems can individually tailor these data to the respective aircraft type and route depending on the needs of the airline.
“We are very pleased that a new airline like Volotea has decided to use our mobile app soon. We hope this contract will be the start of a long, successful business relationship,” said Marco Cesa, SVP Regional Management Europe at Lufthansa Systems.
The Spanish airline started flight operations in April 2012 with a fleet of three B717 aircraft. Volotea operates a fleet of 9 aircraft this summer.
17.07.12 | Major Global Brands Descend On Shanghai For Inaugural China Travel Retail Event
Champagne Laurent Perrier, Ice-Watch, Etienne Aigner, L’Oréal Luxe, Lacoste, Lotte Duty Free & Toblerone to join Diageo as Sponsors of China Travel Retail on 24th and 25th July, 2012 at the Marriott City Centre, Shanghai
The Organisers of China Travel Retail (CTR) – the leading business and networking event bringing together decision makers from airports, airlines, seaports, cruise/ferry companies and travel retail brands seeking to understand the rapidly growing Chinese travel retail market, is proud to confirm some of the biggest and best known brands in Travel Retail as sponsors at the inaugural China Travel Retail event, taking place next week at the Marriott City Centre hotel in Shanghai.
Joining Diageo as sponsors of the event will be: Champagne Laurent Perrier, Ice-Watch, Lacoste, Etienne Aigner, L’Oréal Luxe, Lotte Duty Free and Toblerone. In addition, to these world renowned brands up, the show has two exclusive media partners; The Hurun Report is the official Media Partner in China and The Moodie Report (whose Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, together with Deputy Publisher Dermot Davitt, will moderate proceedings) is the official trade Media Partner.
“The support of so many key brands demonstrates the value they place on the booming China market”, said Ink’s Chief Executive, Jeffrey O’Rourke. “This event is a chance for them to further build relationships amongst the key decision makers in the Chinese travel retail sector. We would like to thank them all for their support.”
As well as the speaker sessions, the show will be supported by an exclusive supplier showcase, featuring new and established brands, keen to meet with the 200 delegates expected next week, including dozens of buyers from airports, airlines, concessionaires and cruise operators. There are still a few places left for relevant delegates – please register online at http://www.chinatravelretail.com or contact info@chinatravelretail.com.
16.07.12 | Astronics Corporation Named Supplier of the Year by Rockwell Collins for the Third Consecutive Year
Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace and defense industries, announced today that its Luminescent Systems Canada Inc. (LSI Canada) subsidiary has been selected by Rockwell Collins as the 2012 Human Machine Interface Supplier of the Year. This is the third year in a row that LSI Canada has received this award.
The Supplier of the Year award is an acknowledgement of significant contributions made during the year by suppliers to Rockwell Collins and is based on quality, delivery, total cost of ownership, lead time and customer service. The award was presented to Astronics at the 2012 Rockwell Collins Annual Supplier Conference in Cedar Rapids, IA.
16.07.12 | British Airways makes history with aviation book published by Lund Humphries
British Airways has opened its archives to publishers Lund Humphries, and together they are bringing back to life the historic glamour of flying with a compelling book, British Aviation Posters: Art, Design and Flight.
The posters, which date from the pre-war days of Imperial Airways, were originally designed to entice the wealthy of the day to take up flying with attractive images of exotic locations, luxury travel and cutting edge art and graphics.
The full colour hardback book, which launches officially on July 17, 2012, is an image-led journey through British Airways’ history, from Imperial Airways to today.
The book depicts the speed, progress and sheer excitement of flight with 181 beautiful images mainly sourced from the British Airways Heritage Collection. Authors Scott Anthony and Oliver Green begin the story with circus-like air shows and exhibitions of the early pioneers of flight, then guide readers through historic milestones including post-war, the swinging sixties and the age of Concorde.
Paul Jarvis, curator of the British Airways Heritage Collection, said: “It’s incredible to see the years of history we have stored in our collection so beautifully presented for everybody to enjoy. The book captures the magic of flying and the incredible history behind British aviation, of which we’re so proud.”
Some of the most creative artists and designers are featured, including Edward Bawden, Abram Games, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Theyre Lee-Elliot, Ben Nicholson, John Piper and Rex Whistler.
British Aviation Posters: Art, Design and Flight (ISBN 978-1-84822-084-3) is available through leading bookshops across the UK and online at a recommended retail price of £35.00
Members of the public can also see a selection of the original artworks at the British Airways Speedbird Centre at British Airways’ Heathrow headquarters. The Speedbird Centre is a museum comprising unique items from British Airways’ history, which includes everything from uniforms to Royal memorabilia, menus and aircraft models to interiors. For more information see: www.ba.com/heritage.
16.07.12 | Emirates Inflight Entertainment Wins SKYTRAX Award for Eighth Consecutive Year
For a record-setting eighth consecutive year, Emirates ‘ice’ inflight entertainment system has been awarded the ‘World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment’ award at the 2012 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards. The awards are based on voting by over 18 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities. The award was accepted by Patrick Brannelly, Emirates’ Vice President Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital & Events, at the awards ceremony on 12 July, 2012, at the Farnborough Air Show, UK.
Emirates award-winning Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system, ice Digital Widescreen(‘ice’ stands for information, communications and entertainment), offers a staggering choice of over 1,400 channels of entertainment; including up to 300 movies from around the world, hundreds of TV choices and thousands of music tracks from contemporary to classical. As clear evidence of Emirates’ ongoing commitment to product quality and innovation in providing the industry’s best IFE, in March the airline introduced a new Graphical User Interface (GUI) which makes content and system features easier to navigate via a “swiping” or “scrolling” functionality. Furthermore, passengers aboard Emirates new Boeing 777 aircraft will now be able to enjoy the ice system on larger personal TV screens with high definition (HD) resolution: 27-inch in First Class, 20-inch in Business Class and 12.1 inch in Economy Class; making the latter the biggest in the world.
“Since becoming the first airline to install TVs in every seat on every aircraft back in 1992, Emirates has focused on continually investing in and improving our inflight entertainment experience for our passengers. To receive the prestigious SKYTRAX ‘World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment’ award for the eighth year in a row is not only a testament to our efforts but illustrates our passenger’s appreciation of our ice system; that is the true reward for us,” said Patrick Brannelly, Emirates’ Vice President Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital & Events. “We would like to thank our loyal passengers for choosing Emirates again this year and, as always, we welcome their input and feedback on how we can continue to improve our offerings to ensure they have the best entertainment experience in the air.”
“Emirates continues with its long standing winning record in taking this award for the Best Airline Inflight Entertainment for 2012, and they must be very proud of this fantastic customer recognition of their inflight entertainment standards. As an onboard product amenity, inflight entertainment has become a great quality differentiator and continues to grow in importance for customer satisfaction rankings. Emirates clearly remains a favourite airline for this amongst passengers” said Edward Plaisted, CEO of SKYTRAX.
Emirates has maintained its industry-leading position by continuously investing in and expanding its entertainment offering; resulting in an incredible range of movies, television and music from around the world. Emirates has rolled out WiFi internet connection on the entire A380 fleet and has an additional 90 aircraft equipped with the AeroMobile system which allows mobile phone use inflight. To date, over 11.5 million passengers have connected their mobile using the AeroMobile system inflight.
16.07.12 | Research Finds Airline Entertainment to be Increasingly Shown on Passengers’ Own Laptops and Tablets
New research from IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS)), shows that wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE), a relatively new form of IFE delivery, is forecast to be on around a quarter of the global commercial fleet in just six years’ time. Airlines are looking to take advantage of the myriad of personal electronic devices that passengers are taking on-board by turning them into an entertainment system, possibly complementing existing systems or in some cases replacing them.
“However, in most cases it won’t be for several years,” comments Rose Yin, market analyst with IMS Research. “There are still a few obstacles that wireless IFE needs to overcome in order to pose a real threat to seat-back IFE systems, which are still the dominant form of entertainment system on long-haul flights and will remain so in the short to mid-term.”
One of the major issues cited to be slowing uptake is the number of passengers bringing an electronic device with a sizeable screen and Wi-Fi capability on board. Despite the rapid growth of tablets, not many passengers own one, and at the same time laptops can be seen as a hassle to carry around unless you are travelling for business. Airlines don’t want to rely solely on consumers’ own devices so have opted to complement their wireless IFE service by renting out iPads or other tablets, with the downside being more cost to the airline.
“For the next few years, most installations are likely to occur in aircraft with limited or no entertainment systems on-board, with the aim being to sell access as a value-add service. However, as more and more passengers start bringing their own tablets and smartphones into the cabin, it is expected that some airlines will just replace a portion of their seatback systems with wireless IFE to help save weight,” says Yin. “Furthermore, wireless IFE with internet access is a powerful combination; airlines can offer both streaming of content as well as allowing passengers to stay connected to the internet, almost mimicking the offering of what is available on the ground.”
Wireless IFE access might be offered for free in the future, particularly if the airline already offers free IFE on a particular flight. However, the cost of installing and operating an internet connectivity service is still high. Therefore, only one third of wireless IFE systems are expected to come with internet access in 10 years’ time.
Fixed IFE is still the dominant form of entertainment on many aircraft. However, it is clear that the growing use of portable connected devices and in-flight internet access is fuelling a revolution in the way passengers stay entertained.
13.07.12 | First LAN Boeing 787 Completes Final Assembly and Exits Factory With Full Livery
The first LAN Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner (which the Company will receive before the end of the year), exited the paint shop of the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington will full livery completing the last phase in the assembly process.
LAN Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner
LAN will be the first airline in Latin America, and one of the first in the world, to receive this aircraft, with the first delivery expected in late 2012 and delivery of 32 total aircraft over the next 10 years. This represents an investment of U.S. $3.5 billion and marks one of the largest investments in the Company’s history. The configuration of the cabin on the first LAN 787-8 aircraft will include 217 Economy class seats and 30 seats for Premium Business class.
The destinations the LAN 787-8 will service during its first year of operations will be Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lima, Peru, Los Angeles, California, Madrid, Spain and Frankfurt, Germany. These routes will be gradually integrated during the aircraft’s first year of service.
The passenger’s experience on LAN’s 787
As part of our dedication to continuing to improve our fleet and our commitment to bettering the quality of life of the people where we live and work and preserving the environment, LAN has incorporated one of the world’s newest and most modern aircraft, the Boeing 787 to our fleet. The Boeing 787 offers:
• An innovative, modern and harmonious design.
• With electronic auto-dimming windows and dynamic lighting to create a better atmosphere. Thus, preparing the passenger for the different stages during the flight (day, night, etc.), and for the time zone to which it is arriving.
• Larger windows: the windows of this aircraft have up to 40% more surface area than current windows, which will allow all passengers (in all rows) more visibility during the flight, giving them a better view.
• Overhead bins with 30% more storage space for carryon luggage.
• The aerodynamics of the Boeing 787 incorporates technology that reduces the impact felt by the passenger due to turbulence. In addition, the pressurization of the cabin to a lower altitude (6,000 feet instead of 8,000) would result in the reduction of headaches or other symptoms a passenger might experience when flying.
• The cabin includes new air humidification techniques, significantly reducing fatigue and dryness associated with long trips.
• The passenger may have a more enjoyable trip thanks to the technology in their engines that make them less noisy from both inside and outside the aircraft.
Some of the environmental benefits of the 787
• An emission of up to 20% less of CO2 than similar aircraft.
• Up to 40% less noise footprint than similar aircraft on takeoff, the period of greatest noise in flight.
• 50% of the structure is a carbon fiber composite material, which makes it a first in the industry, this material being more resistant to fatigue and corrosion. This allows, moreover, that the manufacturing process will produce less non-recyclable waste.
12.07.12 | British Airways’ B787 mobile simulator lands at Farnborough
British Airways’ newly upgraded Boeing 787 mobile simulator is coming to Farnborough Air Show on Saturday July 14 and Sunday July 15 and will be open to the public to test their flying skills.
The Boeing 787 fully mobile simulator raises money for High Flight, a kids’ charity helping disadvantaged and seriously ill children fly in light aircraft.
In its 26 years the simulator, manned by volunteer British Airways pilots, has clocked-up more than 25,000 miles visiting air shows, schools, and corporate and charity events around the UK – the same as flying to Paris and back nearly 60 times.
The simulator features realistic cockpit controls, visuals and even engine sounds that combine to bring this unique experience to life. Each slot includes every aspect of a real flight from take-off to landing.
After their virtual flight on the new Boeing 787, customers receive an overall score for their performance, a printed certificate and hopefully a round of applause from friends watching their flight on the simulator’s external plasma screen.
Volunteer British Airways mobile simulator pilot, Senior First Officer Cliff Agius, said: “It’s great for all the volunteer British Airways pilots to be able to get out from behind the cockpit door and share our knowledge and love of flying with our customers.”
Sessions are accompanied by fully trained British Airways pilots. Flights start from just £25 for a 15 minute slot with all profits going to High Flight.
12.07.12 | Malaysia Airlines and Lufthansa Systems cooperate for Managed Wide Area Network services
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Lufthansa Systems announced today that the carrier will be using Lufthansa Systems’ managed WAN solution, SkyConnect, for secure and cost-efficient data exchange for MAS’ 80 international stations, including the crucial SITA PSS connectivity at Atlanta.
The deal is part of the ongoing Malaysia Airlines’ Strategic IT Outsourcing (SITO) program to stabilize, rationalize and transform the IT operations delivery in the airline. With SkyConnect, Malaysia Airlines will benefit from a state-of-the-art solution that combines the flexibility of regional networks with the ease of a single point of contact for the customer. SkyConnect will integrate Malaysia Airlines’ commercial applications such as reservations, check-in and aircraft handling and will be ready for new functionalities such as voice-over-IP telephony in the future.
“We need reliability in our global data exchange for stable and profitable flight operations,” said Ms Faridah Abdul Rahman, CIO of Malaysia Airlines. “SkyConnect is a reliable, secure and cost-efficient system and will take our global communication into the 21st century.”
Combining high availability with exceptionally large data capacity, SkyConnect is a global multi-provider network which airlines and other international companies can use to transfer data quickly and securely. The multi-provider network is composed of the best available sub-networks of various regions and local providers.
Commenting on the cooperation, Faridah said, “We were seeking a strategic partner to enable Malaysia Airlines to achieve business objectives that offer an innovative value proposition, wherein Malaysia Airlines would get consistently improved services, at a reduced cost with greater transparency and higher flexibility.”
“Besides cutting-edge products, a global presence and close contacts to our customers are priorities of Lufthansa Systems. Over the last years we have established a solid cooperation with Malaysia Airlines. The decision in favor of SkyConnect is a sign of great trust. This again underlines our strong position in the Asia-Pacific market,” commented Olivier Krüger, SVP Regional Management Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Systems.
11.07.12 | LATAM Airlines Group monthly statistics report for June 2012
LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries, (“LATAM Airlines Group” or “the Company”) (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN / Bovespa: LATM11), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for June 2012 compared to June 2011.
System passenger traffic increased 11.5% as capacity rose 6.0%. As a result, the Company’s load factor for the month increased 3.8 points to 77.8%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 52.5% of the month’s total passenger traffic.
Domestic passenger traffic in LATAM Airlines Group´s Spanish speaking operations (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) rose 25.6%, as capacity increased 23.0%. As a consequence, the domestic passenger load factor increased 1.6 points to 76.1%.
Domestic passenger traffic in Brazil rose 10.9%, as capacity increased 2.5%. As a consequence, the domestic Brazil passenger load factor increased 5.4 points to 72.0%.
International passenger traffic rose 9.0%, while capacity increased 4.9%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 3.1 points to 82.5%. International traffic includes international operations of both LAN and TAM on regional and long haul routes.
Cargo traffic for LAN grew 1.3% as capacity increased 0.3%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor increased 0.7 points to 69.5%. The slight growth in cargo capacity is a result of an increased availability in the bellies of passenger aircrafts. Cargo traffic growth was driven by strong demand for commodities from South America, partially offset by weaker imports into Latin America.
11.07.12 | TE Connectivity announces license agreement with PTK
TE Connectivity (TE) announced today at the Farnborough Air Show that it is in final negotiations to license its SPEC 55 airframe wire to PROMTECHKOMPLEKT Co Ltd (PTK), for localized manufacturing within Russia. Frank Breslin, TE’s Vice President of Global Sales, and the President of PTK, Valery Shardin, made the announcement and expect to complete the agreement in early August.
The licensing agreement will allow PTK to manufacture TE’s SPEC 55 airframe wire in support of the Russian and the Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) markets. Acting as TE’s master distributor for localized SPEC 55 wire, PTK will support both the commercial aerospace and military markets within the CIS territories. The localization of SPEC 55 airframe wire within Russia will support Russia’s defense market, a key growth market for TE.
“We decided to team with PTK in the manufacturing of SPEC 55 wire after working closely with them on previous value-added opportunities within the Russian market,” said Breslin. “As one of our authorized Russian channel partners, PTK has worked with and has supported TE in the growth of this emerging region.”
“Our decision was based on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, as well as directives of the Government of the Russian Federation on the use of the most advanced foreign technologies in aerospace industry,” said Shardin. “Implementation of this innovative project on production of aerospace wire and cable products in Innovation Special Economic Zone “Dubna” will allow the industry to decrease the weight and cost of onboard electrical wire interconnect systems of the modern and perspective aircrafts, as well as increase manufacturability of the aircraft and hence, make the products of the Russian aircraft industry more competitive in domestic and foreign markets.”
TE’s SPEC 55 airframe wire is used throughout the commercial aerospace and defense industries and is currently deployed on the vast majority of aircraft flying today. With this expansion into the Russian and CIS market, TE and PTK hope to supply a significant portion of the Russian defense market requirements.
For more information on TE’s SPEC 55 airframe wire, contact the Product Information Center at 00+1+800 522 6752 or visit www.te.com/catalog/menu/en/23177?BML=10576,23176.
SPEC 55, TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks of the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
11.07.12 | TE Connectivity announces expanded product range with Deutsch integration
TE Connectivity (TE) announced an updated status of their integration of Deutsch Group SAS today at the Farnborough Air Show. In addition, TE and Deutsch representatives discussed the strength of the combined product line and the impact to customers throughout military and commercial aerospace markets.
The acquisition of Deutsch, a leading provider of high-performance connectivity solutions for harsh environment applications, significantly expanded TE’s connector product offering, enabling the company to better serve customers by filling the gap on circular and composite connectors. “With the addition of the Deutsch circular connectors, TE can now provide the complete line of cable harnessing components, including wire, backshells, identification and the accessory materials that make up a modern EWIS dependent electrical harness,” said Frank Breslin, Vice President of Global Sales, TE Connectivity. “Customers now have a one-stop shop for highly robust and complete solutions to meet the growing market for harsh environment connectivity applications.”
Integration of Deutsch is well underway within TE. Led by TE’s sales channel, the initial focus has been on customer support and service. The addition of Deutsch focused franchised distributors has been added to the existing TE distribution channel to further support customers. In addition to the channel changes, TE is working towards a unified sales team in order to increase the combined TE and Deutsch presence for all customer accounts.
“Our goal is to provide our customers a unified sales force with a single face for all our commercial aerospace, defense and marine products,” added Breslin. “This, along with the additional focus within our distribution channel, will help our customers with reduced lead times and ease of procurement for all our product offerings.”
For more information on TE Connectivity and Deutsch products, contact the Product Information Center at 00+1+800 522 6752 or visit www.te.com/adm or www.deutsch.net.
Deutsch, TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks of the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
11.07.12 | Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Ciroc, Baileys, Shui Jing Fang, Gordons, Tanqueray, Singleton, Talisker and Zacapa all represented at China Travel Retail
Today, China Travel Retail (CTR) – the leading business and networking event bringing together decision makers from airports, airlines, seaports, cruise/ferry companies and travel retail brands seeking to understand the rapidly growing Chinese travel retail market – is pleased to announce that Diageo, the world’s premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories, will be the Diamond Sponsor of the inaugural event taking place in Shanghai next month.
In addition to Diageo’s Diamond Sponsorship, it will take a large, prominent exhibition stand, where it will specifically showcase Jonnie Walker and Shui Jing Fang, however other brands and products for the China market will also be represented including:, Smirnoff, Ciroc, Baileys, Gordons, Tanqueray, Singleton, Talisker and Zacapa. Diageo will also host the delegates’ Networking Dinner on the Tuesday 24th July and have branding throughout the event.
“The Chinese travel retail market is a huge opportunity for us to increase sales across our entire product range and this event provides the perfect platform for us to enhance relationships with our customers and to realise our brands potential in China”, Said Jay Woo, General Manager, Diageo Asia Pacific Travel Retail.
The inaugural CTR event, run in partnership with GIS, China’s leading events company, will bring together leading western brands across all travel retail markets including food and beverage, fashion, consumer electronics, cosmetics and accessories with decision makers and buyers from Chinese airports, airlines, seaports, cruise/ferry companies. As well as providing valuable networking opportunities, CTR will showcase best practices both domestically inside China at Chinese airports and airlines, at sea, as well as how companies are successfully selling to Chinese consumers travelling overseas.
Jeffrey O’Rourke, Chief Executive of Ink commented, “Diageo’s involvement as Diamond Sponsor for CTR is fantastic news and we are delighted with this show of support for the event. The Chinese travel market is opening up some truly exciting opportunities to western brands and we hope that this event can help each of those companies build their business in this booming market”.
For further details about the event, the speakers and the two-day seminar schedule, please go to www.chinatravelretail.com, or contact the CTR team at info@chinatravelretail.com.
11.07.12 | 2013 Airline Retail Conference in Hong Kong to cover A-Z of Ancillary Revenue
The Airline Retail Conference (ARC), has today confirmed Hong Kong’s Asia World Expo convention centre will be the venue for the next Airline Retail Conference Asia Pacific.
The conference is the sister event to ARC’s European event, which takes place this week at the Hilton Metropole in London. Covering all aspects of Ancillary Revenue as well as Inflight Retail, ARC 2013 in Hong Kong will take place on Monday 25th to Wednesday 27thFebruary 2013.
The Inflight Retail Market is forecast to grow by 3.1% by the end of 2012¹, with most of this coming from Asia. This has been reflected in the success of the ARC events. After the success of this year’s event in Singapore, ARC is expecting over 300 senior delegates to attend from airlines, concessionaires and travel retail suppliers.
In addition, there are expected to be over 50% more exhibitors than at ARC2012 Asia-Pacific, making it an even more valuable and successful event than ever before.
“From the feedback we received, we were ecstatic about how successful ARC2012 Asia Pacific was this year in Singapore”, said Jeffrey O’Rourke, Chief Executive of Ink. “We now intend to take this conference to the next level which is why we are broadening the remit to cover all other aspects of ancillary revenue. We have an exceptional venue and already have a several world-class speakers on board. ARC2013 Asia Pacific in Hong Kong is set to mirror the growth of the Asia Pac travel retail market by making this year’s conference bigger and better than last year’s event”.
The conference sessions will be supported by a 45-stand key suppliers’ exhibition, giving airline buyers from across the region the opportunity to meet with new and existing suppliers and to find out about the latest innovations and product developments for inflight retail and ancillary revenue.
In addition to the main conference, there will be a number of key networking events, including lunches, three drinks receptions, the ARC Gala Dinner at the Marriott SkyCity and the second annual of the AR.Awards for Asia Pacific.
For more information about the conference, go to www.airlineretail.com or emailinfo@airlineretail.com.
¹ Generation SE
11.07.12 | BoardConnect from Lufthansa Systems adds more entertainment to the Condor flight experience
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the installation of Lufthansa Systems’ innovative BoardConnect in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution onboard Condor aircraft. Condor will be the first European airline to offer its passengers a wide range of video and audio on demand as well as other content during a trial period on board a Boeing 767-300.
BoardConnect is the only wireless IFE solution that has been tested during flight operations. The installation on board an aircraft consists of a server with a 3G modem and five access points in the cabin. Passengers can access content using their own laptops, tablet computers, smartphones or any other WiFi-enabled device.
“After having received a Supplemental Type Certificate from both the U.S. FAA and the Australian CASA, European certification was the next important milestone for us,” explains Norbert Müller, Head of Program Management BoardConnect at Lufthansa Systems. “The fact that BoardConnect can now be used in Europe as well sends an important signal to the market that is closely observed by many airlines.”
In addition to containing numerous entertainment features, the BoardConnect solution from Lufthansa Systems enables airlines to offer new forms of customer communication, information and services, for instance in connection with their on-board shops. BoardConnect is unique in that it allows airlines to address passengers individually with the system. The new services thus put Condor in a position to potentially tap additional sources of revenue.
Since BoardConnect is based on standard components and uses wireless transmission technology, it is both highly reliable and cost-efficient to operate. Due to the low number of components, BoardConnect can be installed overnight or during regular maintenance checks. Thanks to the minimal installation effort, the solution is ideal not just for long-haul jets but particularly for smaller aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737, which generally offer very limited IFE options.
10.07.12 | British Airways and Rolls-Royce fuel progress
Four fuels have been selected to progress to the next stage of Rolls-Royce and British Airways’ scientific programme to evaluate sustainable alternative aviation fuels.
Having successfully completed lab testing, the fuels will now be evaluated on their compatibility with aircraft fuel systems, impact on engine operability and their emissions during a rig-testing phase.
The programme plans to identify practical alternatives to the current industry standard fuel kerosene (Jet A-1). The results will be shared across the industry with the ultimate aim of creating a wider range of sustainable fuels and reducing aviation’s impact on the environment.
The four fuels proceeding to the rig-testing phase are provided by Applied Research Associates Inc., Byogy Renewable Inc, Algaeon Inc in partnership with Swift Enterprises, and Shell Research Limited in partnership with Virent Energy Systems Inc. Each fuel showed significant promise, and was suitably different to fuels currently in production. A HEFA jet-fuel provided by Syntroleum/Dynamic fuels will also be tested at varying blend ratios with standard Jet-A1 in order to provide a baseline for comparisons.
The rig-testing phase is being carried out at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre facilities at the University of Sheffield, and at Rolls-Royce’s testing facilities in Derby. One of the rig tests will use a British Airways gas turbine auxiliary power unit.
Fuels which meet the required criteria will proceed to engine tests in a Rolls-Royce test bed facility.
Rolls-Royce environment strategy manager Jonathan Hart said: “This scientific testing programme will significantly advance our understanding of the performance of these novel fuels, and support the wider use of sustainable and low carbon fuel within the aviation industry.”
He added: “We are investigating key differences in composition, properties and performance compared to conventional fuels and so far these four fuels have demonstrated significant potential.”
British Airways’ head of environment Jonathon Counsell said: “Developing alternative, sustainable aviation fuel is an important part of a range of measures designed to help British Airways achieve its target of reducing net carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050.
“We are proud that, together with Rolls-Royce we are helping lead the implementation of biofuels into our industry.”
British Airways and Rolls-Royce are committed to the development of robust frameworks for the assessment of the sustainability and performance of alternative fuels. The primary purpose of the programme is to evaluate their technical suitability, and also their sustainability using criteria based on the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels standard. While some of the tests in the programme use methods recognised for certification standards, the programme will not provide certification of the fuels for commercial operation.
Each fuel must have, or exhibit the potential to have a better overall environmental footprint than Jet A-1. The long-term viability and future scalability of the fuels will also be considered.
The test programme has been funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration CLEEN programme, Rolls-Royce and British Airways.
09.07.12 | TE Connectivity unleashes the future with rugged, high-speed interconnect solutions at Farnborough
TE Connectivity (TE) is featuring its latest innovative products and solutions for the aerospace industry, at the Farnborough International Airshow. Many of TE’s new and advanced products and solutions will be on display at Booth # H4/A17 on July 9-15, in Farnborough, UK.
CeeLok FAS-T Connector – The most rugged, small form factor, field terminable, I/O connector that meets high-speed 10Gb/s Ethernet performance. Designed for military, commercial aerospace and marine environments, the CeeLok FAS-T connector easily meets today’s requirements and the expected 10 Gb/s speeds needed in the future.
Fortis Zd Connector – This advanced high-speed backplane connector, designed for military and commercial aerospace applications, supports increasing bandwidth requirements in a ruggedized format to withstand the increased shock and vibration requirements of emerging military applications.
Mezalok Connector – A high-reliability mezzanine connector that more than doubles the speed and durability of existing technology, making it the most viable option for today’s military and commercial aerospace applications.
Business Jet Power Distribution Harness – Taking on the challenges of the next generation of More Electric Aircraft, the Deutsch-TE Connectivity teaming provides the complete solution; from connectors, contacts, backshells, wire, shielding, labeling and molded part protection. These parts combined with HarnWare™—our harness design software—provides the customer one of the most innovated global harnessing solutions available to date.
Future Unleashed Demo Box – The new demo box showcases the future of advanced packaging. An all in one package provides solutions for integrated wire cable and advanced connector applications.
High Speed Box-to-Box Solutions – Supporting next generation platforms…helicopters, UAVs, missiles and soldier systems. Avionic systems today typically run at speeds up to 1 Giga-bit. The next generation of interconnect products are demanding 1 to 10 Giga-bit end-to-end solutions. TE achieves this performance level via connectors, cables and terminations matched for high speed performance.
Raychem Spin Lock Variable Angle Backshell – Designed for durability, better shielding and offers full sealing capabilities. Providing straight, 45°, and 90° cable terminations, the backshell’s swivel body rotates around the axis of the cable bundle, thereby minimizing stress on the wire bundle and providing better strain relief compared with other termination systems.
High Voltage and High Power Contactors – Hartman & Kilovac products are among the smallest, lightest weight switching devices currently available in the aerospace industry. Built to meet or exceed the rigorous requirements of Mil-R-6106, they are designed for use in power distribution systems for private, military and commercial aircraft; or ground vehicle systems.
Ground Fault Interrupting (GFI) Relay – The GFI Relay protects wiring and equipment by monitoring, detecting and isolating faults in 3-phase power applications.
TE will also be featuring its latest innovative repair solutions for the aerospace industry.
C-Wrap Side Entry Repair Sleeve – Used in aerospace, defense and marine applications, this repair sleeve delivers an environment resistant repair to damaged primary wire with nicks, chaffed and radial cracks, while providing long-term performance and a permanent solution.
Cold-Applied Splice – While providing both wire termination and environmental sealing in a single step, the one-piece construction not only simplifies use, it allows a compact space-saving profile. The immersible splice prevents water from entering even under permanent pressure or weight.
Side-Entry Bushing – Designed for high temperature applications where tape or fixed grommets are used, the one strip of the pre-coiled, reusable SEB can replace up to 6 feet and 40 wraps of silicone tape traditionally used in strain relief of wire and cables.
For more information on any of these connectivity solutions, contact the Product Information Center at 00+1+800 522 6752 or visit www.te.com/en/tradeshows/2012/farnborough-international-airshow-2012.html.
CeeLok FAS-T, Fortis Zd, Mezalok, HarnWare™, Kilovac, Hartman, TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks of the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
06.07.12 | Diehl Aerosystems celebrates official inauguration of Hungarian production site
Diehl Aerosystems, partner for aircraft cabin design and integration as well as for avionics solutions, celebrates the official inauguration of its new Hungarian site in Nyírbátor. The local Hungarian company Diehl Aircabin Hungary Kft. is a subsidiary of the Diehl Aerosys-tems unit Diehl Aircabin in Laupheim, Germany.
Diehl Aircabin Hungary was founded in 2011; since the beginning of 2012, production was successively built up. Right now, 70 employees work for Diehl in Nyírbátor, which is due to increase to 240 in 2015. Currently, 40 shipsets are leaving the site per day. Production is scheduled to increase to 400 shipsets per day by the end of 2013.
So far, door and door frames for the Airbus A320 Family are manufactured in Nýirbátor right now. In the future, the site will supply these parts also for the Airbus long-range air-craft, as well as insulation packages for the A350XWB.
The set-up of Diehl Aerosystems‘ production site in Hungary serves the purpose of ex-panding capacity. This is required by the scheduled production rate ramp-up by the aircraft manufacturers, increasing the demand for sufficient number of parts from suppliers. Nýirbátor expands capacity for Diehl Aerosystems, and it does not relocate work packages from Germany elsewhere.
Diehl Aerosystems is a Corporate Division of Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG and covers all aero-space activities of the Diehl Group. With its operational units Diehl Aerospace and Diehl Aircabin, both joint ventures with Thales, as well as Diehl Service Modules and Diehl Com-fort Modules, Diehl Aerosystems is a leading systems supplier for avionics and cabin solu-tions. The Corporate Division currently has more than 3,000 employees. Amongst its cus-tomers are leading aircraft manufacturers (OEMs), such as Airbus, Boeing, Eurocopter and Embraer.
05.07.12 | Corsair International relies on NetLine SP from Lufthansa Systems
Lufthansa Systems today announced that the French airline Corsair International will use the comprehensive NetLine SP solution for its flight planning, crew management and operations control. NetLine SP from Lufthansa Systems is a complete operational planning and control system designed specifically for the needs of medium-sized airlines. Requiring only minor investments and paying for itself within a short period of time, the IT solution combines the performance of the NetLine suite with professional system operation in the Lufthansa Systems data center.
“The system will enable us to achieve the ideal balance between the company’s operational requirements and the needs of our flight crews,” said Jean-Pierre Bes, Flight Operations Director at Corsair International.
For Antoine de Kerviler, Corsair’s CIO, “NetLine SP gives us access to the latest technologies available in this area. Our past experience of working with Lufthansa Systems and their vision of the future were important factors in our selection process.”
NetLine SP – short for NetLine Service Providing – is a clearly structured package consisting of NetLine/Sched, NetLine/Crew and NetLine/Ops. These basic components cover the key aspects of Corsair’s operations, including flight planning, crew management and operations control. Corsair will use the NetLine/Crew Fairness xOPT optimization tool for its crew planning. This solution simplifies the crew planning process by generating fast, cost-efficient and fair duty rosters. The system distributes flight hours, stopovers and routings fairly to all crew members. This principle minimizes overtime costs and ensures that all crew members are given sufficient duty shifts, benefiting the crew members and thus increasing employee satisfaction. Corsair has also opted to use the CrewLink module so that crew members can directly access their duty rosters.
“We are very pleased to expand the relationship we have had with Corsair since 2010,” said Marco Cesa, SVP Regional Management Europe at Lufthansa Systems. “In addition to our navigation charts and our staff travel solution, Corsair will now also use NetLine SP to optimize its resource management. This is a great vote of confidence in our work.”
Corsair was won over by Lufthansa Systems’ extensive experience, the many satisfied NetLine customers, the professional support provided during and after the introduction of the solution and the assistance that Lufthansa Systems offers in the modification of business processes.
04.07.12 | ARC2012 continues to grow in popularity
Organisers of the Airline Retail Conference, the world’s most focused networking platform for airline buyers and suppliers, have today announced the statistics for next week’s London event and have said they are delighted with the levels of attendance. The conference, which will take place at the Hilton London Metropole, is the largest in its six-year history, with nearly 25% growth on 2011.
ARC2012 statistics
The number of concessionaires attending has increased by 46%
The 77-stand exhibition (http://airlineretail.com/exhibitors) is 51% bigger
Overall attendees have increased by 23%
13 airlines are new attendees for 2012
Event director Alex Vail says: “Given the current economy and the challenges that are facing the airline industry as a whole, we are absolutely delighted that ARC2012 has continued to grow in popularity again this year.”
Last year’s event set a new standard for quality conferencing in the inflight retail sector, so expectations for this year are high. The steep increase in bookings from inflight concessionaires (who collectively buy for hundreds of airlines globally) is testament to the strong reputation the Airline Retail Conference has developed.
To register, or for more information about ARC2012, please call Shelly Guerrero on +44 20 7613 6959 or visit http://airlineretail.com.
The Official Event Partner for ARC2011 is Scorpio Distributors.
Headline sponsors are Ratcliffe & Brown (wine sponsor), Whitehouse Travel Retail (lunch sponsor), The Nuance Group (Gala Dinner drinks reception), Coca Cola (non-alcoholic beverage sponsor), Tourvest Duty Free & Novo IVC (welcome drinks sponsor), Patrón Spirits and GuestLogix Inc.
Associate sponsors are Gate Retail Onboard, Fervor, Braun GmbH and Green Gourmet.
Please go to www.airlineretail.com/arcsponsors-london for details.
03.07.12 | Emma Gesto joins AMP International
AMP International, part of the Post Modern Group, is pleased to announce that Emma Gesto has joined the company as Account Manager, based in the company’s Dubai office. Emma worked for many years in the inflight entertainment division of Virgin Atlantic Airways and also at London based Channel 4 Television where she was Acquisitions Executive. She joined AMP International earlier this year and has been working at the U.S. headquarters office prior to transferring to the Middle East regional office later this month. She will work closely with Maya Sheikh, the AMP Middle East Regional Manager, as well as Irvine-based staff, and will have primary responsibility for the Oman Air account.
Christelle Cuenca, Executive Vice President of AMP International, said, “Emma is a really strong addition to our Middle East team. Her extensive experience on the airline side is invaluable and her strength in content acquisitions will be a great asset to our clients.”
AMP International is part of the Post Modern Group. Together with sister companies Post Modern Edit and Images in Motion, AMP provides industry leading content management and technical services to a broad international client base including airlines, cruise ships and others.
03.07.12 | TNT’s Falling Skies returns for a second season on Turner Inflight Services
The wait is over. TNT’s epic drama Falling Skies, is back on Turner Inflight Services with season two available to airlines across Europe, the Middle East and Africa now. This season will continue its extraordinary story about life and survival in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion and promises to up the stakes, with more drama, more tension and lots more action. Noah Wyle (ER) returns as Tom Mason, a former college professor and father of three, who has become an unlikely leader for the 2nd Massachusetts civilian resistance group. Falling Skies contributes to the wide range of programming already available to passengers including news, documentaries, lifestyle, film, celebrity interviews and sport.
In its debut season in the US, Falling Skies averaged more than 6.9 million viewers, 3.3 million adults 18-49 and 3.7 million adults 25-54 to rank as basic cable’s #1 new series of 2011. Internationally, Falling Skies premiered in more than 115 global markets, achieving hit status in the United Kingdom, Australia and Latin America, among others. The premiere of Falling Skies also ranks as the biggest series launch ever for TNT networks in Spain, Germany and Austria. Season two premiered on 17th June on TNT US, 22nd June in Germany and 3rd July in the UK.
Falling Skies chronicles the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the nine months since the initial invasion, the few remaining survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.
As the second season of Falling Skies opens, three months have passed since Tom went willingly with the aliens in one of their ships. Nobody has seen or heard from him during this time, and his absence has taken its toll on his sons. Tom hoped that by agreeing to a dialogue with the invaders, he would not only free his son Ben from the invaders’ influence but also get a better picture of the aliens’ overall plan.
Many lives have been lost since Tom left, but the survivors of the 2nd Mass still struggle on with courage and resilience. Ben and his older brother, Hal, have stepped up as fighters but quickly butt heads as they both seek to secure their roles as leaders in their father’s absence. Hal has developed a strong, if not flirtatious, friendship with former renegade Maggie. Ben, meanwhile, has become a particularly strong soldier. But even though his prowess is a huge asset to the 2nd Mass, he has an independent streak that could place others in harm’s way.
Joining Falling Skies as guest stars this season are Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing), who plays resident engineer and technology expert Jamil Dexter, and Terry O’Quinn (Lost), who will play Arthur Manchester, Tom’s mentor and former professor, in the two-part season finale.
CONTACTS:
Saadia Bahraoui
Commercial Director
+44 20 7693 0761
saadia.bahraoui@turner.com
03.07.12 | Asiana Airlines continues to plan efficient routes with Lido/Flight
Asiana Airlines is going to use the leading flight planning solution, Lido/Flight from Lufthansa Systems, for another five years. The Korean carrier, which has been relying on Lido/Flight since 2006, decided to extend the contract based on the superior performance and substantial cost savings the system has generated over the past years.
With its robust and user-friendly architecture, Lido/Flight covers all aspects of flight planning. The system provides dispatchers with many optimization options regarding flight time, fuel consumption or costs of each flight. The system also offers additional modules which facilitate dispatchers’ work in various subtasks. It is in use with major airlines around the world operating in different business models. Lido/Flight can significantly reduce fuel consumption. The solution is a component of the Integrated Operations Control (IOCC) Platform from Lufthansa Systems. In addition to Lido/Flight, Asiana also uses Lufthansa Systems’ revenue accounting and MRO management solutions.
“We are proud to extend our long-term cooperation with a growing 5 Star Airline here in Asia Pacific,” said Olivier Krüger, SVP Regional Management Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Systems. “This decision is a sign of deep trust and greatly strengthens our position in the regional market. We will work very closely with Asiana to keep enhancing their operating efficiency in accordance with the growth strategy of Asiana and also continue our strategic collaboration with Asiana IDT.”
Asiana Airlines is one of Korea’s major airlines and one of the largest in Asia. It has repeatedly received international awards for its outstanding service. The airline operates 72 aircraft to 12 domestic and 68 international destinations.
03.07.12 | One-Third of U.S. Passengers Choose Airline if it Offers WiFi
A new airline passenger survey focusing on U.S. travellers’ experience of in-flight Wi-Fi, conducted by IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS)) found that more than 60 percent of passengers who used cabin Wi-Fi are likely to use it again in the future. With in-flight Wi-Fi services growing rapidly in the U.S. in the last couple of years, more than 40 percent of respondents who have flown in the past year have used the service, either as part of a promotion or by paying for it.
The survey also revealed that 67 percent of respondents who paid for their in-flight Wi-Fi are inclined to use the service again, compared to only 12 percent who indicated it would be unlikely for them to pay again. However, for those who have yet to experience internet access at 30,000 feet, only 20 percent of respondents would consider themselves likely to use in-flight Wi-Fi on a future flight. The survey findings indicated a generally positive experience from those who have used the Wi-Fi offered.
“In-flight Wi-Fi is not new, but still poses a major investment dilemma for airlines already squeezed by rising costs,” says Rose Yin, market analyst with IMS Research. “Apart from the usual issues of choosing the right connectivity solution for the airline and overcoming any bandwidth limitations, one of the main concerns is whether airlines can get a return on this investment. So far, it has been hard to make much additional profit from offering in-flight Wi-Fi for airlines, particularly as it’s not always clear which passengers are willing to pay for it.”
The profile of the ‘average’ passenger is different from the average Joe, as they are likely to have more disposable income. For airlines it is essential that they identify those passengers who cannot resist paying to log onto the internet when it’s offered on-board. “If we assume that the potential users of in-flight Wi-Fi will be similar to those in the U.S., then we can expect them to be those under the age of 45, male, and carrying a laptop PC on-board, where the average paying user might also come from a household with close to $90,000 of annual income,” Yin added, “Of course, you will also need to consider what other forms of in-flight entertainment are available. The survey told us that most people were using in-flight Wi-Fi for leisure purposes, which may be a result of a lack of a comparable entertainment system on-board. The take-up rate might be different if a personal in-flight entertainment system is offered for free, as many long-haul flights do.”
A positive for the industry is that, despite some perceptions that people would not use the inflight Wi-Fi if they have to pay, and that bandwidth quality has been raised as one of the main quality issues, the survey found that 70 percent of those who had to pay for their inflight Wi-Fi thought it was value for money. In fact, almost a third of the respondents indicated that they have chosen to fly with one airline because they knew it offered inflight Wi-Fi, and over a third who did not, would consider doing so in future.
Broadly, many passengers have a positive view of in-flight Wi-Fi and are willing to use it repeatedly, even if they have to pay. Furthermore, a significant portion of passengers are willing to choose a carrier based on whether it has Wi-Fi or not. The message for airlines is clear: Even if in-flight connectivity cannot always be made to be profitable, offering it will become increasingly important for retaining passenger share.
02.07.12 | Carlisle Interconnect Technologies launches two new RF connector lines to augment its push-on connector product family
Carlisle Interconnect Technologies announced the availability of two new connector lines to its push-on family – the TMP® and WMP® series, at last week’s IMS conference held in Montreal, Canada.
The TMP® family is designed to provide higher power handling capacity, similar to an SMA connector, for use in Radar and other high power RF & Microwave systems.
The TMP® interface enables mode-free operation to 23 GHz, and is rated to handle above 200 Watts of power in the S-band. This makes it ideal for a myriad of high power military and defense applications.
The WMP® product line, in contrast, is the smallest form factor connector series within the push-on family. Designed specifically for high density microwave packages where space is a premium, the WMP® bullet adapter enables a stackable PCB height of < 0.120” (or about the same thickness as two pennies stacked on top of each other).
The WMP® interface is specified up to 65 GHz; however, it can support operation to 100 GHz for millimeter-wave designs. Both connector series provide the benefits of a push‐on interface i.e. simple connection and ease of use in dense packages; and include PCB mount, Field Replaceable, Microwave Cable, and Custom connector configurations.
02.07.12 | TE Connectivity’s adhesives offer excellent bonding, environmental sealing and strain relief characteristics
TE Connectivity (TE) offers a wide range of adhesive products to meet the needs of the aerospace, defense and marine markets. Developed to complement Raychem brand heat shrinkable tubing, molded shapes and wire and cable products, TE’s adhesive products have been designed for excellent performance.
Whether used separately or as part of an assembled harness system, the adhesive products deliver the strength and endurance that is needed in extreme environments.
With TE’s extensive experience and depth of understanding of the environmental, mechanical, and electrical requirements that separate one application from the other, TE has designed adhesive solutions with customized performance characteristics that satisfy the needs of various applications.
“Our expertise in materials science has driven the formulation of adhesives that complement our heat shrinkable material systems,” said Mark Taylor, Product Manager, TE Aerospace, Defense & Marine. “This means TE can offer adhesive products that give great environmental sealing and bonding to a wide range of materials, while meeting the challenges of many different applications and environmental conditions.”
TE Connectivity offers a variety of adhesive products, including:
- Raychem Two-Part Polyamide Epoxy
- Raychem Two-Part Modified Epoxy Adhesive
- Raychem Chemical and Heat-Resistant Adhesive
- Raychem NBCCS (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Contamination, Survivable) Adhesive
- Raychem Hot-Melt Thermoplastic Adhesive Tape
- Raychem Hot-Melt Adhesive Tape
- Raychem Elastomeric Adhesive Tape
- Raychem General Purpose Hot-Melt Sealant Tape
- Raychem Halogen-Free Hot Melt Sealant Tape
For more information on TE’s adhesive products, contact the Product Information Center at (800) 522-6752 or visit TE’s Adhesives, Epoxies and Repair Tape page.
Raychem, TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks of the TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies.
