Onboard Hospitality Forum Asia 2018

Where technology meets Championing innovation in the onboard passenger experience

PART OF FTE ASIA EXPO NOVEMBER 13-14 MARINA BAY SANDS, SINGAPORE INNOVATE

OR STAGNATE

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Thank you to our sponsor Global-C and all our exhibitors!

Time to connect...

W

elcome to our inaugural Onboard Hospitality Forum - Asia, at FTE Asia EXPO. Our goal is to bring technology and hospitality experts together in the company of airline product developers, and provide a platform for connections, creativity and progressive conversations about the onboard experience.

Technology touches everything and as always-connected passengers become the norm, the race is on to discover just how technology can enhance the passenger experience.

Tech experts and traditional hospitality suppliers have to come together for this and we are delighted to play our part in connecting them. Whether you want to deliver preordered personalised catering, create inflight shopping events and memorable moments, or develop cabin wellbeing applications, the Forum will shine a spotlight on best practice and innovation. Join us each morning for informative debates on the EXPO stage in collaboration with IFSA, and then get a real taste of Asia at our 'Street Food Festival' within the Onboard Hospitality Forum - Asia area supported by APOT. Craig, Julie & Sue look

forward to seeing you

SM

STAND

B1 B8 B9 B13 B15 B17 B19 B23 B27

EXHIBITOR

SATS Bayart-Innovations SkyLights Formia Beijing Dapeng Nandan Linstol Easun TeaPop

B21

B27

B8

B9

B19

B17

B15 B1 B13

Join us and APOT for a real taste of Asia at our 'Street Food Festival'

EXPO STAGE

Onboard Hospitality is published by: BMI Publishing Ltd, Suffolk House, George Street, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1SR, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 8649 7233 • PUBLISHER: Sue Williams EXHIBITION DIRECTOR: Craig Mcquinn EDITOR: Julie Baxter CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jo Austin and Richard Williams CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Matt Bonner LEAD DESIGNER: Louisa Horton DESIGNER: Zoe Tarrant PRODUCTION MANAGER: Clare Hunter PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Steve Hunter MANAGING DIRECTOR: Martin Steady • © BMI Publishing Ltd 2018. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, BMI Publishing Ltd cannot be held

*correct at time of going to press

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN AIR, RAIL & CRUISE

responsible for any errors or omissions • Get yourself connected online  @OBHMagazine  Onboard Hospitality at linkedin.comonboardhospitality.com

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Get in the Zone Discover the true taste of Asia at our Onboard Hospitality Forum featuring a daily 'Street Food Festival' networking event in association with APOT - 12-3pm

Taste it!

The Asian aviation market is growing at pace and with it demand for authentic travel experiences. Fresh local flavours can help bring the destinations of Asia to life from the moment your passengers step onboard.

Check out some of the region's leading chefs and suppliers at the heart of Asia's catering sector including SATS, Aerofood, Taste Vietnam by Ms Vy, SPI Manufacturing, Happy K and Global-C creators of the Qantas noodle box. You can try Mohksha Dew a new cinnamon drink too.

Onboard Hospitality Forum area 12-3pm

In collaboration with:

AEROFOOD

SATS

SPI

Bringing your destination onboard...

APOT founder, Keerthi Hapugasdeniya (of Happy K Solutions), says: "We are delighted to be working with Onboard Hospitality to create an exciting Asian buzz around this event. It will be a wonderful opportunity to recognise the culinary creativity of our region and inspire airlines with our local flavours.”

Jeremy Clark, APOT ceo, adds: “APOT is all about encouraging carriers to recognise WHERE they go and not just WHO they carry.

That job doesn’t stop with just the passenger’s onboard experience but with how they engage with the destinations they fly to. We are looking to raise awareness in all these aspects of the travel industry."

Thanks to our street food festival participants Pantone 1807C

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Join us each morning at the EXPO stage for new hospitality and culinary insights and debate JOE LEADER, CEO IFSA

TUESDAY SESSIONS

Join the debate...

Head to the EXPO stage each morning for insight and debate focused on catering and hospitality and led by IFSA's ceo, Joe Leader and Onboard Hospitality's editor Julie Baxter.

Leader says: "The Onboard Hospitality Forum – Asia provides all of IFSA’s Asian and Pacific airlines an opportunity to come together at a regional level to meet the best of suppliers, cutting-edge start-ups, and those working to connect the entire end-to-end inflight customer experience. Now caterers and hospitality suppliers have their own zone within the exhibition to showcase the immense added value they bring to the onboard offer. This partnership with Onboard Hospitality is a fantastic opportunity to focus our thoughts on Asia."

Memorable moments onboard FORMIA is a global leader in tailor-made premium guest and inflight service amenities, including kits, bags, cosmetic and comfort items. Join us on the EXPO stage to hear how it has worked on an innovative gifting programme for Singapore Airlines.

Over the past three decades, FORMIA has forged a distinctive design approach and its exceptional innovation is a testament to the team’s expertise. It works in partnership with the world’s leading airlines and brands in luxury, travel, lifestyle, and wellbeing to identify the most profitable strategic fit and add value to the airlines’ proposition. formia.com

STAND B13

Wellbeing in the air

EXPO STAGE

STAND B9

As passenger wellbeing moves up the agenda, SkyLights founder Laurence Fornari, joins us on the EXPO stage to explain how virtual reality can open the door to a new world of wellness.

SkyLights partners with airline customer experience managers to help them upgrade and differentiate their premium business, and is set to launch a range of new onboard developments in the coming months. skylights.aero

11.15AM ONBOARD RETAIL Transforming the buy-on-board retail experience (catering & retail) SPEAKER: Nik Loukas, Inflightfeed.com 12 NOON CREATIVE CULINARY How world class caterers in Asia are using culinary innovation to put authentic flavours onboard and maintain a competitive edge MODERATED DEBATE WITH: IFSA CEO, Dr Joe Leader, with insights from Mike Pooley and Jeremy Clark

WEDNESDAY SESSIONS

11.30AM WELLBEING IN THE AIR Technology that cares - how onboard tech is becoming a part of the wellbeing mix SPEAKER: Al McGowan, Sr Director, Innovation, Panasonic SPEAKER: Laurence Fornari, Founder SkyLights 12 NOON - CREATING MEMORIES ONBOARD & BEYOND Hear how Singapore Airlines has drawn on Asia's hospitality heritage for a unique and trendsetting gifting programme in collaboration with leading amenities supplier FORMIA SPEAKER: Nik Sanders, Regional and Brand Director, FORMIA

In collaboration with:

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Creating a buzz...

We are delighted to welcome the following exhibitors, partners and sponsors at our inaugural Onboard Hospitality Forum – Asia. Be sure to come and meet them...

SATS

STAND B1

SATS is Asia’s leading provider of food solutions and gateway services, with a presence in more than 60 airports across Asia and the Middle East.

It has over 70 years of culinary expertise and innovative product development in catering to the aviation, defence, healthcare, eduPantone 1807C

STAND B23

EASUN

A leading manufacturer, Easun specialises in high quality goods including blankets, slippers, indoor shoes, pillows, brushes and amenity kits.

It is focused on design, quality and logistics. easun-tourismarticles.com

GLOBAL-C care and commercial sectors.

With two inflight kitchens in Singapore with a combined production capacity of over 115,000 meals, SATS is a culinary powerhouse with more than eight cuisine specialisations ranging from Oriental, Thai, Japanese, and Korean to Middle Eastern, Malay, Indian and Western.

The company also houses a halal boutique bakery and chocolate studio, a dedicated team of dieticians and food technologists, and manages a repertoire of over 800 weekly inflight menu types within these kitchens.

To achieve its vision of feeding and connecting Asia, SATS adopts a technology-driven, people-led approach that harnesses innovation and empowers its people to delight their customers. sats.com.sg

Global-C designs, manufactures and delivers inflight products for airlines across the globe. The team is passionate about striking the right balance between quality, function and value. They have over 300 products currently flying worldwide and 200 projects designed and delivered to clients in the last 12 months.

Earlier this year they won an Onboard Hospitality Award: Best for Onboard Snacks (Economy), for a collaboration with Qantas to create an ovenable noodle box (pictured below). The judges said: "This is a funky little box which fits really well into the airline trolley and the product inside was great."

Try it for yourself at our 'Street Food Festival' each day, 12-3pm. global-c.nl

BEIJING DAPENG This headphone supplier offers noise-cancelling headsets and headphones for First, Business and Economy, all made to ARINC 628 standards.

STAND headset.com.cn

B15

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TEA POP

STAND B27 Developed for luxury inflight service, tea specialist Tea-Pop is taking the fuss and fiddle out of using loose leaf tea with a remarkable new and patentpending Tea-Crystals. Tea-Pop products are made from the extraction of all the goodness of quality tea leaves, formed into a crystallised shape that will dissolve fully when mixed in hot and cold water, producing the perfect cup of tea. This process uses less leaves than tea bags and without producing unnecessary wastage such as tea bags, as well as reducing the messiness of loose leaf teabrewing and additional machinery. Nominated for this year's Food Matter Live awards, Tea-Pop is an ideal companion for on-the-go tea drinkers and travel service businesses. teapopla.com

'Street Food Festival' 12-3pm

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LINSTOL

BAYART INNOVATIONS Bayart Innovations is launching a new collection of Economy amenity kits.The pouches can compactly contain travel essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, eye shade, socks and earplugs. The pouches are designed as collectables to encourage passengers to use them beyond their journey. With over 30 years of know-how in supplying high quality airline items, Bayart Innovations provides solutions tailored to airline and airline passengers’ needs to create an unforgettable onboard experience. bayart-innovations.com

STAND B8

STAND B19

Linstol believes that airline travel should be inspired. Since SM 1993 its team of idea makers, collaborators, creators and doers have been taking airline product ideas to new heights. They specialise in full product customisation of inflight passenger comforts and deliver products that align with each airline partner’s brand.

They strive to set the industry bar for quality control standards, product development, delivery and customer service on a range that includes amenity kits and headsets, disposables and textiles. This year the company marks its 25th anniversary. linstol.com

NANDAN For the past 25 years, the Nandan Group has been designing and manufacturing high loader trucks, passenger stairs and equipment to make ground handling operations easier. Most recently it has launched a new small high loader which brings a 70% increase in capacity over traditional high-loader with no increase in overall vehicle size.

The truck uses Bharat Benzs euro 4 technology to cut fuel costs STAND and is predicted to reduce operating costs bt 20%. nandan.co.in

B17

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A taste of

As Asian countries begin to outperform the rest of the world, demand is growing for authentic Asian food of the highest quality onboard. Jo Austin investigates the latest offerings for discerning passengers

T

hey like it fresh, they like it hot, and it has to be authentic, that's the conclusion of caterers in Asia Pacific as they work to meet onboard demand from the region's fast expanding travelling ‘middle class’.

A recent survey by Mordor Intelligence suggests the Asia Pacific inflight catering market is set to see annual growth of eight per cent during 20182023 thanks to rapid urbanisation, a resurgence in discretionary spending, increased demand for travel and rising standards of living.

Steven Small of World Routes says the Chinese market is really the one to watch. He says: "China is the world’s second largest aviation market and it is continuing to grow. During 2022 it will displace the USA as the busiest on earth and by 2036 its market will have a colossal 1.5 billion passengers a year."

Caterers' fortunes are of course linked to those of the airlines and in Asia Pacific the aviation sector is now assessed to be the fastest growing in the

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world. Rising disposable incomes and improved connectivity in countries like India, Vietnam, and China have given the market impetus, and inflight meals are ranked as one of the top considerations for these passengers when choosing a flight.

Preparing for growth

Airlines and caterers have been quick to recognise this astounding growth and many are investing heavily in the region. At the same time chefs and caterers worldwide are working to add Asian flavours and styles to their onboard repetoires.

Robert Smithson, gm culinary at dnata catering based in Brisbane, says: “It’s not just flavours and ingredients we are dealing with – we are talking about an entirely different culture, and this is particularly noticeable when it comes to fine dining in the air. It has been a two-way education for us, and our menus are constantly evolving. We have learnt by working closely with our customers, as well as through collaborations with the Lotus Dining Group in Australia and The Golden Century, a leading seafood restaurant in Sydney.

“Food in China is very regionalised with eight different regional cuisines, and the difference is often in the simple ingredients such as rice.

For example, jasmine rice is served out of Hong Kong and a medium grain rice will be served to customers from mainland China."

Chinese airline customers expect to be inspired and impressed, and to see caterers use the correct cultural etiquette and meticulous presentations.

Smithson adds: "Chefs across our network including some Michelin-star trained chefs - work on both traditional and authentic Chinese cuisine,

and there is a large demand across the Cantonese market. We increasingly use traditional ingredients such as winter melon, lotus root and century egg."

Above: dnata chefs focus on fresh local produce Below: noodle box for Qantas by Global-C

Local insights are key

Gategroup, now partly owned by HNA Group (a Chinese conglomerate which owns Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines amongst others), has entered into a 30-year joint venture with Asiana Airlines in Korea where it recently opened a new kitchen.

Gate Gourmet executive chef Sylvain Harribey, says: “We have hired additional Chinese chefs to ensure we get very close to the real flavours of authentic Asian cuisine and we fly our chefs into the region for workshops with local specialists to ensure they have the flavour combinations right.

Asian travellers are looking for regional specific cuisine, they have their own comfort foods, their own taste of home and they want to see those reflected in the onboard choices. It is one of the great advantages of a worldwide company like gategroup, that we genuinely have chefs all around the world so can tap into each others’ expertise to ensure authenticity."

The hot food imperative

Mike Pooley is a former resident of Singapore where he presided over the gategroup multi-brand presence in Asia-Pacific and he is well-informed on the region's tastes. He says: “The first point of difference in Asia is to understand the importance of hot food onboard. It has always been a

'Street Food Festival' 12-3pm

at our Onboard Hospitality Forum

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driver to menu development in the region and dishes like donburry and char siu rice pot. Unless vegan or vegetarian, chicken is still the most there is no sign that will change any time soon. popular protein and the Chinese love their pork Even for the LCCs offering a hot snack or small meal at any time of day remains important. A cold dishes while Korean and Japanese customers favour beef." snack simply would not fly.

The company has a new base at Wenzhou “The provenance and authenticity are also key Longwan International Airport in China’s Zhejiang criteria. Asia Pacific inflight teams and chefs want province where passenger numbers are growing 10 local ingredients and flavours and are stringent in percent a year and LSG is the ensuring the correct flavour sole caterer currently serving profiles are matched every 120 flights a day for the likes time. Asian chefs are a key of Cathay Dragon, Air China, for all the airline catering Hot food is a driver to China Eastern, China Southern kitchens including those menu development in sourcing inbound menus from the region and there is no and Hainan Airlines.

Europe. The stronger your sign that will change unit chef's credentials the Local flavours better and an ability to talk Singapore Airlines has a the right language in terms of food and dialect is a strong culinary reputation and its key caterer real asset."

SATS has been working with the Singapore Chefs Association to create 70 new airline dishes using traditional family recipes reflecting Regional difference Singapore’s rich culture and heritage.

LSG Sky Chefs has been present in the Asian The dishes include Cantonese market since the late 1980s when it started its first braised beef, short rib joint venture in China, and today it is present at 20 and tendon with radish, Chinese airports. The caterer has an established Hainanese duck with track record in providing authentic cuisine onboard pineapple and bamboo including regional Chinese, Thai and Indian dishes. shoots, Hakka red Says LSG: “Generally passengers out of Korea will mushroom with pork rib choose bibimbab, Japanese passengers choose soup, Peranakan spicy Japanese dishes and Shanghainese into Shanghai. prawn with sataw beans, We cater different food into Shanghai than into and Teochew-style twice Beijing. Additionally, we make specialities which cooked garoupa. Rick represent seasons, so in winter we serve rice

Above from left: Japanese choices on SIA Business; SATS collaborate with the Singapore Chefs Association and below: Asian flavours from LSG Group

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Stephen, director of kitchens at SATS, says: “We want to create greater awareness for such traditional family food to add more variety to the local culinary experience. Our collaboration with the SCA National Culinary Team will allow more travellers to taste these culinary treasures.”

Flying Food Group has also been working with the carrier on its new ultra long haul service New York to Singapore.

Evolving in partnership

Vietnam Air Caterers is committed to quality too and has a fully Asian team of chefs actively working on projects in this field, creating several national dishes such as banh mi, pho and the very popular spring roll for airline customers in First and Business where all dishes are fresh rather than frozen. The caterer believes really successful delivery of authentic dishes only works if the airline has the appropriate tableware and crew training and is committed to the correct presentation of national dishes.

Quality quest

Gourmet Primo, supplies a wide variety of Asian meals for buy on board and md Linus Knobel, says: “We hope one day airlines will treat us more as a partner than caterer, sharing our philosophy around best quality rather than looking for lowest costs. I truly believe Authentic dishes only work if the airline has the that for an airline to stand out it needs to work alongside a appropriate tableware gourmet caterer to provide and crew training that difference.”

Bangkok Air Catering (BAC) puts quality before everything else and believes good food can make all the difference to an airline's reputation especially for Economy and LCC pasengers. The company’s subsidiary,

Above: airlines are drawing on the flavours and style of local regional chefs Below: Finnair is expanding its Signature Chefs programme to include Asian flavours for its growing Asian network

Farm to table dining

Authentic, traditional Korean cuisine is integral to flying with Korean Air and it is well known for its signature dish: bibimbap, a rice dish cooked with blanched or stir-fried vegetables mixed with meat, a sunny-side-up egg, and slightly spicy red chili paste. It also serves dongchimi noodles, kalbi-jjim (braised beef short-ribs) and bulgogi with rice, and uses all Korean tableware in premium cabins.

Economy passengers can expect bibimbap, bibim noodles, gondreabap, assorted mushrooms with rice, and stir fried spicy octopus with rice. Chinese and Japanese dishes are also served depending on the routes. The focus on quality is underlined by the airline's ownership of an organic farm on Jeju Island which supplies premium, environmentallyfriendly produce to redefine the concept of farmto-table dining at 35,000 feet.

Asia is without doubt a vibrant, fast evolving region for airlines, and onboard innovation and culinary excellence are at the heart of all they do. •

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Your time to

shine

Recognising the best in AMENITIES • BEVERAGE • CATERING INNOVATION • FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT • KIDS ONBOARD • SNACKS • SUSTAINABILITY • ONBOARD TECHNOLOGY • TEXTILES • WELLBEING

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Closing date for entries (to be followed by online voting to identify finalists)

APRIL 2019

Winners will be announced at our Hamburg Awards event next year!

Be a winner...

Enter now for your chance to win one of 15 category awards and two valuable new mentoring prizes

Break-Through Prize

Any young business (SME trading for at least one year) entering our awards in any category will be offered the chance to win a grant worth over £6000, to include: • Extensive advertising and promotion opportunities in Onboard Hospitality, Onboard Finder & through our database • Business mentoring from a member of the Onboard Hospitality Mentoring Network panel to help you target onboard sales

Leadership Recognition Prize

Any business entering our awards which is already active in our sector will be offered the chance to win a grant worth over £3000, to include: • Invitation to join the Onboard Hospitality Mentoring Network • Consultation with a young talent expert at Oxford Brookes • Business advice on how to set up an incubator project • Editorial coverage in Onboard Hospitality magazine • The opportunity to run free recruitment advertising

To enter now contact: sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com Awards.indd 9

Mentoring Network Grants

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14 / TECH UPDATE

A

Talking tech

t our Check ou t supplemen dedicated dates at: & news up com ospitality. onboardh

s FTE Asia EXPO 2018 opens in Singapore (Nov 13-14), Richard Williams highlights the latest technology talking points.

View his regular coverage on our Onboard Tech News pages at onboardhospitality.com

AIRFI GETS CONNECTED

AIR FRANCE IN GLOBAL EAGLE AND ORANGE DEAL

Air France has given a long-term contract for in-flight connectivity to a collaboration between Global Eagle and Orange Business Services. The contract initially includes 113 Airbus A320 family aircraft operated by Air France and installations are already underway. The partnership between Global Eagle and Orange Business Services aims to deliver highspeed internet, passenger portal interfaces and services, integrated billing, and passenger data analytics. globaleagle.com

AirFi has announced the launch of its first inflight connectivity services into the airline marketplace. AirFi claims that the low-cost service, called AirFi LEO, combines the simplicity of a walk-on, noncertified system with connectivity that enables real-time passenger experiences. AirFi LEO connects to the global Iridium NEXT network via one or a number of patent-pending internal cabin antennas, bringing the AirFi Venus Box online. Faroe Islands-based Atlantic Airways has been announced as the global launch partner for AirFi LEO. airfi.aero

SKYLIGHTS’ VR SEAT SOLUTION

SkyLights has revealed its premium in-seat cinematic VR IFE solution, created in partnership with InSeat Solutions and STELIA Aerospace. It combines SkyLights’ Allosky headset, STELIA Aerospace’s new Opal Business seat and InSeat Solutions’ interactive massage system to offer a ‘4D’ experience.

The in-seat solution is planned as a line-fit product for Business differentiation.

Learn more on the EXPO stage, Wednesday,11.30am. skylights.aero

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TECH UPDATE / 15

AEROMEXICO SELECTS VIASAT FOR B737 MAX

FLIGHTPATH 3D OFFERS

Aeromexico will deploy the Viasat in-flight ‘GEOTAINMENT’ PLATFORM internet system across 18 new The moving map company has developed its product, Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, flying on 2000 plus aircraft on 50 airlines, into a full with an option to extend geotainment platform. It now offers a 3D moving up to 60 aircraft. First THALES' map, with highlighted journey points in the My line-fit installations of VIETNAM DEAL Flight section, plus a My Destination module Viasat’s equipment Vietnam Airlines, which flies to with city guides, 360-degree views and maps, have already begun.

50 destinations in 17 countries, has plus an Explore the World section to promote Aeromexico says the selected Thales to equip their new B787-10 the airlines’ other destinations. There is the ability to tap into the Dreamliner aircraft with the AVANT inflight potential to include a Travel Planner and a ViaSat-2 satellite as entertainment system. This agreement Survey module. The system is flying now with well as Viasat’s future Norwegian, Air France/KLM and Virgin Atlantic expands the existing partnership between satellites, gave the with the 3D map and destination guides. airline confidence it Thales and Vietnam Airlines, which chose would be able to offer flightpath3d.com the Thales AVANT IFE system for their the best service in the A350-900 XWB and B787-9 aircraft. market. viasat.com thalesgroup.com

GOGO TV GETS NEW CLIENTS

Gogo’s IPTV product, Gogo TV, is now active on three global airlines, Delta, GOL (Brazil) and American, delivering live TV to more than 550 aircraft. Japan Airlines and Japan Transoceanic Air are also scheduled to launch the service. Content can be delivered to passengers’ wifi-enabled PEDs or integrated into an airline’s seatback entertainment system. The service is available to airlines with Gogo’s 2Ku highspeed satellite connectivity. gogoair.com

AIRCALIN CHOOSES SITAONAIR

Aircalin is partnering with SITAONAIR to add the Internet ONAIR solution, powered by Inmarsat’s Ka-band satellite network GX Aviation, to its fleet. The airline, based in the French territory of New Caledonia in the south-west Pacific, serves Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and is renewing its fleet with A330-900s and A320neos over the next three years. sitaonair.aero

Be a part of our next technology supplement, out for AIX, Hamburg: sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com

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A formidable team?

Richard Williams speaks to Philip Balaam, of Inmarsat, and Ian Dawkins, of Panasonic Avionics, about their new 10-year strategic collaboration

I

n a new ground-breaking deal Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics will now market each other’s products to airlines. Inmarsat becomes the exclusive supplier of Ka-band satellite capacity to Panasonic Avionics, enabling it to sell GX Aviation, a global Ka-band network supplied by Inmarsat’s Global Xpress constellation.

In a shift of focus, Panasonic now sees GX as the primary offering for new business although it will maintain its Ku-band network (the largest in the sector) to support the 2200-plus aircraft now flying with that.

Inmarsat will offer its customers Panasonic’s portfolio of services and NEXT solutions including customer performance and technical services.

They will work together on a new GX Aviation terminal, connectivity-enabled services, data analytics and technology.

Smarter delivery model

Balaam, president of Inmarsat, says: “This is not just a deal, it is fundamental and broader. IFC has not developed as fast as expected, but this is a smarter way

Hear more from Panasonic at the Onboard Hospitality Forum EXPO STAGE WED 11.30AM

network operations says: “We have to deliver the level of service that is the best cabin services, which we are required. The way to change things is continuing to develop, an extensive to bring the best in class, in terms of MRO network, and our operations network and cabin services, together.” centre at Lake Forest. Our Ku network Inmarsat has three GX Aviation is still important and we are fully satellites with a fourth now in orbit. committed to that and Balaam adds: those customers, but “Our GX Aviation we saw a collaboration delivers a smart with Inmarsat as the pipe to the plane, This type of best way to address not just satellites the market. This type but an end-to-end consolidation will of consolidation will mobility network. It help the industry help the industry move is resilient, with builtmove forward forward.” in redundancy, all Balaam adds: “Air the ground stations New Zealand just won the APEX award we need, and well protected. But for Best Inflight Connectivity with its connectivity does not equate to services. combination of Panasonic cabin services So we approached Panasonic to talk and Inmarsat’s GX Aviation. The keys to about partnerships.” this are scale and quality. Our industry Panasonic has 1,000 planes on its has previously struggled to deliver both. order book, but saw great potential, This alliance will get us there more particularly in Europe, and with the quickly.” panasonic.aero; inmarsat.com • LCCs. Ian Dawkins, senior vp, global

Be a part of our next technology supplement, out for AIX, Hamburg • Contact sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com

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TECH UPDATE / 17

How to...

support wellbeing Using technology to promote wellbeing in the air, Panasonic Avionics has developed a Wellness programme as part of its NEXT platform. Richard Williams reports IDENTIFY THE NEEDS

Developed in conjunction with Panasonic Corporation in Japan, the Wellness programme aims to improve comfort, health and wellbeing inflight through a suite of products which includes premium seat lighting, active noise control and nanoe technology.

SEEK EXPERT ADVICE

Two modules have been developed in collaboration with experts. Detalytics for example has a health advisory app which can be integrated into the seat-back screen or used on PEDs. It can be tied to Panasonic’s Marketplace platform selling wellness amenities.

Mimi audio, a specialist in advanced audio fidelity algorithms, uses its technology to personalise sound.

CLEAN AIR FOCUS

"The nanoe air cleansing system eliminates odours and allergens using a 30ml cartridge to expel tiny droplets of water around the passenger. The system is already established in luxury car brands and reduces airborne viruses and bacteria in the cabin.”

LIGHTEN UP

Andrew Mohr, head of innovation at Panasonic Avionics, explains: “Lighting affects our circadian rhythms and different colours and intensities can help set our mood for eating, sleeping or watching a movie. Getting this right can reduce jetlag and we can achieve it with LED at seat level, even in Economy, or personalise it through an airline app for First and Business.

CONTROL THE NOISE

"Active Noise Control is a headphoneless noise cancellation system, for Business and First Class passengers.

It involves tiny speakers and microphones embedded in the seating space that can reduce the ambient noise by 15 decibels.

A NEW VALUE STREAM

FACT FILE Mimi technology uses algorithms to adjust onboard sound to suit each passenger's individual hearing and headphones.

Parameters can be set and captured by apps to be applied on each journey

The launch client for the Wellness programme is scheduled to go live in 2019-20 Detalytics uses AI to recommend when passengers should drink, eat or rest

Mohr concludes: “The added advantage of these two technologies is that they add distinctive utility to airline apps, which are normally of limited use once you have boarded your flight. They also give the airlines hours of analytics on what passengers do onboard. What business would not kill to put a digital channel in front of its customers for multiple hours? The key to that is to add value beyond traditional inflight entertainment. With our Wellness offering we can bring new value streams to the passenger experience.” •

Be a part of our next technology supplement, out for AIX, Hamburg • Contact sue.williams@onboardhospitality.com

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Let's get personal

Time to drill down Craig Foster, senior consultant at Valour Consultancy, explains why airlines need to drill down to a deeper level of personalisation

Differentiation. It's a problem.

Most passengers pay little attention to subtle cabin differences and see aircraft only as a vessel taking them from A to B. Additionally, the rise of LCCs and comparison sites make it all about price.

Airlines cannot simply cost-cut their way to success as this erodes brand identity and reputation. Differentiation has to come through a personalised level of customer experience; and one that reflects the demographics of core passenger groups.

Inflight connectivity and wireless inflight entertainment have brought new ways to CRM system, containing not just viewing interact with passengers through their history but past purchases, routes travelled, own familiar devices, and create highly food preferences and allergies etc. personalised and compelling experiences.

Airlines have enough information to tailor The likes of Netflix, Amazon and Spotify experiences that will have passengers all utilise recommendation engines to offer coming back for more. up content and items These passengers – for sale that align with particularly millennials their customers’ tastes and preferences, and The airline industry is in and Generation Z – are driven by good airlines are beginning the dark ages when it experiences and being to do this too, mining comes to the analytics able to share those information they have required to achieve true experiences on social on passengers. personalisation media. But to make Add real-time personalisation a connectivity and success, moving from a pure airline mentality it becomes possible to do much more to an ‘etailer’ mentality is an absolute must. personalisation. This involves leveraging big The airline industry is in the dark ages when data inflight and having it supplement data it comes to the analytics required to achieve stored in customer relationship management true personalisation – although some airlines (CRM) systems. are getting the message. Carriers need to do Crunch the data more to break down organisational siloes and you can present and ensure data from different passengerevery passenger with facing units is brought together and analysed personalised content centrally. The opportunity associated with onboard. personalisation is obvious. The technology to Today’s IFEC deploy it is here and will only improve. The systems are designed only challenge remaining is for airlines to to be integrated embrace it. • into an airline’s

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Craig Foster - Opinion.indd 18

11/6/18 11:25 AM

TECH UPDATE / 19

Step forward LEO IFEC is set to take a big step forward when Low Earth Orbit satellites come on stream, Richard Williams discusses what's coming with Phasor ceo David Helfgott

T

he satcom industry is expecting a lot from the new LEO and MEO satellite constellations likely to be operational from 2020 to 2022. Getting them to work with mobile antennas is the key to unlocking bandwidth for the next generation of aircraft connectivity.

David Helfgott highlights three significant recent announcements. First, the successful tests between Kepler’s first in-orbit LEO nanosatellite and Phasor’s wideband electronically-steered antenna. Secondly, a collaboration with Astronics putting the Phasor technology inside the Astronics aircraft terminal.

And thirdly, Phasor's new commercial contracts worth over $300m for air, sea and land mobility markets.

Progress for passengers

Opportunities for airlines

And for airlines Helfgott adds: “The Phasor antenna is more reliable as it Helfgott says: “Key is the fact that the has no moving parts, and has a much moving satellite can connect to the lower profile than mechanical antennas, moving antenna, which proves our being only two inches antenna can interthick. This makes it operate with the new lightweight, with low generation of LEO drag, fuel saving and and MEO satellites.

There will be an reducing the risk of This will allow an explosion of new bird strikes.” explosion of new bandwidth which Not all the bandwidth, which will will be empowering ecosystem is in place be empowering for for airlines yet but relevant aero airlines. It means you products will roll out in will be able to connect wherever you’re flying, even over 2020 once the certification is complete. the poles. It will be a robust, reliable Helfott says: "When all the experience. The increased bandwidth Geostationary Highcomes not just from the new satellites, Throughput Satellites but the instant switching between the are in place, plus most relevant satellites as the aircraft perhaps three or four travels around the world." broadband LEO

satellite constellations, there will be a lot of supply. Then the bandwidth cost (cost per bit per hertz) will come down rapidly, as coverage improves globally.”

He sums up: “Phasor is focused on both the existing satcom infrastructure today, and the next generation of broadband LEO satellites. The successful Kepler-Phasor tests and collaborations promise to bring real capabilities to a range of markets, including maritime, transportation, natural resources, defence, IoT and other on-the-move applications. This is an exciting beginning, and we look forward to many more milestones to come.” phasorsolutions.com •

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Focus on Satellite LEO.indd 19

11/6/18 11:26 AM

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