We will be addressing issues as diverse as collaborative decision-making, aircraft management, mobility, security, network optimization and business transformation.
We will focus on the strategic use of IT, and the impact of IT and communication on passengers, airlines and the airport environment. We would welcome your feedback and ideas for future issues.
Air Transport IT Review replaces our previous Solutions@SITA. It will be published online three times a year, with print copies sent to SITA members and customers. Please make sure of your copy by taking the time to register.
Skyservice streamlines operations
Skyservice Airlines, the Ontario-based airline, has signed a contract with SITA to simplify the processing of more than one million passengers a year at locations worldwide.
The agreement covers reservations, departure control services and Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), all of which interface with relevant partners and government agencies.
Founded in 1986, Skyservice operates a fleet of 21 aircraft, including Airbus A319s, A320s, A330s, and Boeing B757s for flights to popular vacation destinations in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.
With this agreement, Skyservice will benefit from a complete managed system across its network, including infrastructure and communications at the airports in which it operates.
Commenting on the new services, Christian Ilumin, Director, Airports and Processes at Skyservice, said: “We aim to streamline our operations across the network and to improve our overall visibility, control and response time to changes in the market conditions. This contract will help us to stay instep with ever-evolving government security regulations. By providing a flexible “all-in” per passenger charge, it also means that our costs are now predictable and controllable.”
According to Hilton Reading, Skyservice’s CIO: “We were looking for competitive edge and this solution enables it. SITA is a knowledgeable business partner and among the few – if not the only – providers who can build and operate such a complete solution at a global level.”
BA takes lead in online revolution
British Airways plans to save millions of dollars by introducing state-of-the-art business practices and eliminating expensive legacy technology.
BA will use SITA’s Airfare Insight application to make informed fare changes in response to market changes. As a result, the airline is expecting a surge in daily traffic through its website.
Jerry Foran, Senior Manager, Revenue Management at BA, said: “SITA Airfare Insight filters and displays what we decide are important competitor price changes.
This allows us to respond quickly, but also in an informed and considered manner, through whatever distribution channel we choose. We can make the best fares available faster than the competition.
“We expect to save at least US $3 million through the decommissioning of legacy systems, as well as a 10 percent increase in audit quality. This will generate a potential US $6 million each year in recoveries.”
More than 200 million fares are published by airlines worldwide at any one time. Typically, full-service airlines will update fares through their distribution network of GDSs, travel agencies and websites, several times a day.
However, using advanced technology and a business workflow system customized to its needs, BA can now support its decision-making by obtaining a clear picture of what its competitors are doing in the market at any one time. Airfare Insight also provides the tools and workflow to fully automate the distribution of resulting prices.
Recovery data centre set up in race towards Beijing Olympics
As the country gears up for the 2008 Olympic Games, the country’s main GDS provider, Travelsky Technology, has announced that SITA is carrying out major improvements to its technology platform, including the installation of a disaster recovery data centre in Beijing.
Airlines are expected to increase the number of flights arriving in Beijing by more than 70 percent during the period leading up to and during the Games. Air traffic will peak three days before the opening ceremony on 8 August and three days after the closing ceremony on 24 August – with an estimated average of 1,900 flights per day compared to the usual average of 1,150.
Wang Ying Chun, Travelsky’s Chief Financial Officer, said: “Separate WAN connections for the data centre will ensure that all network connections with GDSs and airline carriers can be switched over to the disaster recovery centre in the unlikely event of any failure in the primary data centre.”
SITA is installing a managed, business-class network service to provide customers with secure and reliable IP-based Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) connections.
Air France first for in-flight mobile phone
Air France has become the first airline in the world to offer an in-flight mobile phone service on international flights.
Using Mobile OnAir, and as part of a six month trial, passengers travelling on one of the airline’s Airbus A318 aircraft operating cross-European routes can:
During the second half of the trial, passengers will be able to make and receive phone calls. The service will be regulated to maintain passenger comfort and well-being.
At the end of the trial, Air France will examine feedback and customer comments to determine whether to launch this service on all of its flights.
The Mobile OnAir onboard mobile system, certified by EASA (European Aviation Safety Authority) does not interfere with the radio-navigation instruments. It is used at cruising altitude once the new illuminated sign “Switch off your phone” is turned off. The system is activated above 3,000 metres (10,000 feet).
How does in-flight mobile work?
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Mobile phones connect to a miniature cellular network installed inside the aircraft.
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A modem transmits data and calls to a satellite that routes them to a ground station, from where they are routed to the passenger’s usual telephone network.
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To make a call from the aircraft, passengers simply dial the international prefix, the country code and the full number (without the 0).
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Calls are invoiced by customers’ home telephone operators. Costs are comparable to those used for ground-based international mobile phone calls.
Yemen makes online booking breakthrough
Yemen Airways will introduce online booking in Yemen for the first time, in a country celebrated for the youth of its population which is fuelling growth in the use of the internet, (70 per cent under 25 years of age). Yemen Airlines flew 1.3 million passengers last year and is carrying increasing numbers of tourists.
From August 2008, passengers will be able to book their tickets online using the SITA E-Commerce Platform. It means they effectively bypass the traditional global distribution systems (GDSs), saving the airline significant fees.
“By moving some of our business to direct sales with our passengers we will see immediate cost savings,” said Abdulkhalik Alkadi, Chairman of the Board of Yemen Airways.
“Our hope is to have 30 per cent of our sales made on our website by the end of next year which could result in up to US$600,000 savings.”
IT Summit grows as leading industry forum
The 2008 Air Transport IT Summit – taking place on 19 June in Brussels – will bring together around 200 delegates at CIO and senior management level to focus on the theme of ‘Air Transport 2010 – delivering transformation through IT’.
Now in its eighth year, the Summit, which is run by SITA with media partner Airline Business, has become the leading forum for air transport IT leaders to consider the industry’s strategic direction.
Expanded to a full day format, this year’s event will cover:
Transforming the airline environment
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IT’s role in radically transforming the business, while containing costs.
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Effective management of passengers, covering self-service, mobile services or security processes.
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Innovative uses of IT that will continue to have a profound impact for airlines.
Transforming the airport environment
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IT helps increase airport capacity and services, tackle congestion and maximize passenger flow.
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The potential to further speed up check-in, security, border management and disruption management.
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Effective co-operation with other airport operators.
Speakers
This year’s keynote speaker will be: Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of IATA
Other speakers include:
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Idris Jala, Managing Director/CEO Malaysia Airlines
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Paul Coby, CIO British Airways & Chairman of the Board SITA
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Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA
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Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO)
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Thomas Schnalke, Managing Director Düsseldorf Airport
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Grant Woods, General Manager Sydney Airport
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Edward Nicol, Director Information Management and CIO Cathay Pacific Airways
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Mark Pilling, Editor Airline Business magazine
Industry Insights – 18 June
The IT Summit will be preceded by Industry Insight sessions on 18 June, open to all delegates.
The sessions will deal with industry issues, trends and challenges and how they can be addressed by emerging technologies.
Areas to be covered include distribution, the future of airports, Simplifying the Business, the environment, next generation communications for air transport, mobility, in-flight mobile communication and security.
For more information, see www.sita.aero/summit2008.
Rwanda takes digital step towards improved aviation safety
The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will introduce digital-based data link services at Kigali International Airport, eliminating a total reliance on voice communications for digitally equipped aircraft.
In a joint announcement with SITA, the CAA said the Digital-ATIS (Air Traffic Information System) system and an air-ground data link service will be in place by the end of 2008.
This is in line with ICAO’s (International Civil Aviation Organization) Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa, agreed at the last ICAO General Assembly in September 2007.
“The Digital-ATIS system to be installed at Kigali International Airport will enable data link equipped aircraft to receive ATIS information via SITA’s AIRCOM VHF and satellite data link service so that the information will be displayed on cockpit screens or printed on cockpit printers,” said Joshua Mbaraga, General Director, Rwanda CAA.
Improved efficiency
“This will obviate the need for pilots to tune into dedicated voice ATIS frequencies in the approach phase and having to write down what can be often lengthy messages during the critical phases of the approach.
“In addition to the obvious safety benefit of avoiding mistakes in listening to the traditional voice ATIS broadcasts in the approach phase, the Digital-ATIS service for Kigali International Airport can be accessed from almost anywhere in the globe due to SITA AIRCOM’s worldwide coverage which allows information to be picked up anywhere en route.”
He added: “The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority fully recognizes the safety and efficiency benefits that data link technology can bring to air navigation service delivery and D-ATIS is just the first element of our plans to implement ICAO recommendations.”
SITA delivers air/ground and ground/ground data communications services across Africa to support airline and air navigation service provider requirements and has almost completed the migration to IP service availability across the continent.
SITA operates over 1,000 VHF data radios across the globe and delivers a satellite service via two Ground Earth Stations that provide access to INMARSAT geostationary satellites; the combined service is used on a daily basis by over 6,000 aircraft, over 180 airlines and 40 air navigation service providers around the world.
Addis pioneers bar coded boarding passes in Africa
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is to become the first airport in Africa to fully operate bar coded boarding passes for all international and domestic flights, two years ahead of the IATA deadline of 2010.
The change will simplify check-in and boarding processes for the 2.2 million passengers who use the airport each year.
The airport authority has also extended its desktop contract with SITA for another five years to include the replacement of all current printers at the airport with 2D barcode-compatible machines, and the introduction of 2D barcode readers at boarding gates.
Passengers will be able to print their own 2D bar coded boarding passes at home or at the office and proceed directly to baggage drop off and security and on to their boarding gates.
The contract with SITA includes a major upgrade to SITA’s AirportConnect Open, which supports proprietary and web applications for 56 check-in and boarding gate work stations.
SITA CUSS kiosks are also to be installed, making Addis Ababa Bole one of only five airports in Africa that are CUSS compliant.
Russia’s largest airport adopts self-service
Moscow Domodedovo International, Russia’s largest airport, will put into place extensive self-service facilities to manage the 22 million passengers that the airport expects to handle during 2008. This will be an 18 percent increase on 2007.
The airport operators’ aim is to continue delivering high-quality passenger services in the face of this huge growth, through SITA’s AirportConnect Open and Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks.
These systems will provide both self-service check-in and shared use agent check-in positions which will free up significant space at the airport. In addition, Domodedovo Handling, the handling agent at the airport, will use SITA Departure Control Services – enabling mid-size and smaller airlines to offer self-service check-in without major IT investment.
Sergey Rudakov, Director of Domodedovo Airport Complex, said: “We intend becoming one of the top five European airports by 2020 and we need new technologies to ensure that the airport, and our partner airlines, remain competitive.”