www.inflight-online.com March/April 2017 Volume 8 / Issue 2 Going wireless Is the future W-IFE? A nod to the future Alaskan Airlines has more to love Plane food Catering to the cabin The new oil The value of data Panasonic Avionics Corporation DITCH THE BOX. APRIL 4. Visit us at AIX to check out the next big thing. #spoileralert - we are breaking the boundaries of IFEC. CONNECTING THE BUSINESS AND PLEASURE OF FLYING® www.panasonic.aero © 2017 Panasonic Avionics Corporation. All Rights Reserved. AD-0295 Inflight www.inflight-online.com Cover: Singapore Airlines’ Companion App not only ties in with Panasonic’s data platforms, but allows passengers to use their personal electronic devices as a second screen. Volume 8 / Issue 2 / March/April 2017 Contents 04 59 84 Viewpoint Supplier profile Operator profile And the winner is... Forged by experience A better way to fly Alexander Preston looks ahead FTS is making a big mark on The celebrity appeal of South as the event season begins. the IFEC market. Africa’s Aeronexus. 06 29 63 89 News Content Show preview Supplier profile Industry headlines Flights of happiness Finding order in Messe Aural delights Recent events from the world of Maintaining mental and Some of the expected ALTO Aviation celebrates two IFEC and on-board technology. physical wellbeing on board. highlights from AIX Hamburg. decades. 36 W-IFE Going wireless Is the future of in-flight entertainment wireless? 14 42 69 93 Operator profile Show review Innovation Cabin interiors A nod to the future Up for discussion A crystal salute Innovation by design An expanding Alaska Airlines Highlights from Inflight ’s Middle Some of this year’s Crystal Recognising innovation in continues to innovate. East event. Cabin Award submissions. cabin interiors. 18 75 98 EFB technology Cyber security Guest column A question of connectivity Hacked off The last word Will bandwidth stymie the Are in-flight entertainment The connected aircraft supply potential of EFBs? systems vulnerable to attack? chain by Bhoopathi Rapolu. 47 NFC In the next issue... Near and far In-seat power Near field communication technology could soon take off. Audio technology 23 52 81 Satellite Big Data Catering Market insight communications The new oil Plane food Time to deliver Where page numbers are shown in The high-value proposition of An insight into how airlines are The future of in-flight connectivity red boxes, the articles concerned are data explored. targeting foodies. in Europe. part of our business aviation section. EDITORIAL ADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING Production Controller / Marina Blackburn Editor / Alexander Preston Sales Manager / Toby Walton [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] CIRCULATION © HMG Aerospace Ltd, 2017 ISSN 2045-385X Editorial Assistant / Ariana Khushal Marketing Specialist / Ross McSweeny Subscription Enquiries: HMG Aerospace Ltd, 103 Mytchett Road, [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Mytchett, Surrey, GU16 6ES, UK Tel: +44 1252 545993 Fax: +44 1252 408674 Asia-Pacific Correspondent / Emma Kelly DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT www.hmgaerospace.com [email protected] Graphic Designer / Paul Firth Publisher / Mark Howells [email protected] Director / Becky Howells Follow us: Contributors / Henry Canaday, Joshua [email protected] Flood, Kathryn B Creedy, Thomas Tripp @inflightmag inflightmagazine Distribution of Inflight is carefully controlled for industry-related individuals. For non-qualifiers who wish to subscribe, the annual subscription rate is £100. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of HMG Aerospace Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Strategic partner viewpoint Alexander Preston Editor And the winner is… The industry event season is now upon us. The Inflight team is gearing up for the forthcoming Aircraft Interiors Exhibition (AIX), which we preview in this issue. Our diaries are already filling up as we await a series of announcements, both product and customer related, which will be made during the show. A flavour of the event can be found later in this issue, and we’ll be reporting back every day via our popular e-newsletter show dailies during the event itself. Our event season commenced with the fifth Inflight Middle East Pavilion, Workshop and Awards. With overall show attendance up by over 30% to 4,761, and a record number of delegates attending the Inflight Workshop, the two-day show had an extremely busy feel. Inflight exhibitors were quick to point to the quality of footfall, with several enjoying fruitful meetings with the region’s major and regional carriers. In fact, 22% of the Inflight event delegates were senior airline representatives. Many of these airlines were represented in the Inflight Middle East Awards ceremony, which brought the event to a close. Read more about the Workshop and Award winners inside. Speaking of awards, there is much anticipation surrounding this year’s Crystal Cabin Award. A record number of submissions highlights the efforts taking place across the industry to bring the benefits of innovation to improving the passenger experience – whether materials, cabins, seating or other elements of the aircraft interior. Good luck to you. As always, Inflight will be present to congratulate the winners. ZODIAC INFLIGHT INNOVATIONS ZODIAC CABIN Connected Cabin Division newsP.6 / Volume 8 / Issue 2 / March/April 2017 Inflight www.inflight-online.com Inflight www.inflight-online.com news American Airlines says ‘no’ to seat-back IFE American Airlines’ (AA’s) Those phones and tablets are channels, without purchasing an on its widebodies and some of its forthcoming Boeing 737 MAX continually upgraded, they’re easy in-flight internet connection. narrowbodies used for specific aircraft will be delivered without to use, and most importantly they Those paying to get online will flights, as well as its Boeing 777s, seat-back video screens. are the technology that our be able to access high-speed, 787s, Airbus A330s, and A350s, In a statement, the airline said, customers have chosen. So it satellite-based internet that is which begin arriving next year. “We know in-flight entertainment is makes sense for American to focus being installed on the MAX and The airline is also committed to important to our customers, which on giving customers the best other aircraft, enabling seat-back screens on its three- is why we’ve committed to offering entertainment and fast connection passengers to stream Netflix, class A321s, and 40 current- free, streaming high-quality movies options, rather than installing seat- Amazon, and other video on generation B737s, which will be and music, and to investing in fast back monitors that will be obsolete demand, as well as to text and delivered this year with power at satellite-based internet access and within a few years.” browse the web. every seat. power at every seat across our Passengers with personal Both the free streaming library By the summer of 2018, AA will domestic fleet. electronic devices will be able to and satellite internet connections have completed installation of the “More than 90% of our watch free movies and TV shows will work gate to gate. faster satellite-based Wi-Fi on half passengers already bring a device from an extensive on-board library, Despite this move, AA is of its narrowbodies, with all or screen with them when they fly. as well as free live television committing to seat-back screens completed by the end of 2019. Emirates unveils A380 Onboard Lounge through small but successive Onboard Lounge will make its enhancements in line with operational debut in July 2017. customer feedback to increase the Emirates will also introduce amount of space for our customers soundproof curtains to partition to interact in the lounge. the Onboard Lounge area from “In our latest revamp, we have the other cabins, put in additional taken inspiration from private soft ambient lighting options, new yacht cabins, and amongst other window blinds with integrated LED thoughtful touches, we have mood lighting, and subwoofers for increased the seating space, and surround sound. The lounge also Emirates has announced a its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. also made it more intimate and features a 55-inch LCD screen so multi-million-dollar cabin interiors Sir Tim Clark, president of conducive for our passengers to passengers can view the latest upgrade programme for its A380 Emirates Airline said, “Since we first socialise or enjoy our lounge flight information, or enjoy live TV and Boeing 777 fleet, and includes launched the product in 2008, our service,” he added. broadcasts of the latest news or an enhanced Onboard Lounge for A380 Onboard Lounge has gone The new Emirates A380 sports updates. Gogo 2Ku exceeds 100 Mbps in test Gogo has achieved speeds in modem and new high-throughput over time. We also continue to Installation of the new modem excess of 100 Mbps using its satellites,” said Anand Chari, improve our aircraft hardware – will begin in the second half of proprietary 2Ku antenna during Gogo’s chief technology officer. servers, modems, antenna, and this year. Eventually, the product its latest test flight. “We have capacity on HTS wireless access points. This will be providing high-speed “When we launched 2Ku, we satellites in orbit today and 2Ku’s performance achievement internet on more than 1,500 2Ku knew that the performance would open architecture allows us to take demonstrates the progress we’ve and 250 Ku aircraft across 13 get better with our next-generation advantage of satellite innovations made on both fronts.” leading airlines. news Inflight www.inflight-online.com Inflight www.inflight-online.com P.7 / Volumenews 8 / Issue 2 / March/April 2017 Frankfurt airport uses All-in-one contactless VR videos for upgrades handheld MPoS London-based mobile point of utilise the benefits of Microsoft sale (MPoS) specialist, ECR Retail Windows 10 Enterprise and can Systems, has launched the communicate via Wi-Fi, 4G and ECRGo2, the first fully certified, all- Bluetooth.