#GCASPODCAST Ep. 59: Alton Aviation Analyst Talks Asia Pacific Region Airlines, COVID and Connectivity

Joshua Ng, an analyst with Alton Aviation Consultancy, is the guest for this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast.

On this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast, Joshua Ng, director of Alton Aviation Consultancy joins to provide some perspective on the state of the commercial airline industry in the Asia Pacific region, among other topics.

Alton Aviation Consultancy is an independent advisory firm that has advised some of the world’s largest airlines, aircraft manufacturers and investors throughout Asia, the U.S. and Europe. You may have seen analysis from Alton in publications like Bloomberg or The Business Times for example.

Joshua discussed how some airlines in the Asia Pacific region are adjusting to the impact of COVID-19 on passenger air travel demand and the status of the air cargo market as well.

Based on his observation and consulting with airlines and others across the aviation industry in the region, he also discusses some of the new in-flight services such as ancillary revenue services that airlines could enable with connectivity in the near future.

Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at wbellamy@accessintel.com, or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.

Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes or Google Play If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.


#GCASPODCAST Ep. 43: NSR’s Brady Grady Talks IFC Business Models, COVID-19 and More

Brad Grady, principal analyst at Northern Sky Research, gave an insightful presentation on satellite connectivity along with Vivek Prasad during the recent Cabin Chats 2020 virtual event.

On this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast, Brad Grady, principal analyst for Northern Sky Research (NSR), gives some updates and insight on how COVID-19 is continuing to impact in-flight connectivity, antenna technology, the concept of free in-flight Internet, and more.

Grady has given presentations at the Global Connected Aircraft Summit in recent years and leads a group of NSR Analysts focused on Aeronautical and Land-Mobile opportunities, and authors NSR’s Maritime [satellite communications] SATCOM Markets, Energy SATCOM Markets, and Government and Military satellite technologies, according to his profile.

Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at wbellamy@accessintel.com, or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.

Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes or Google Play If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.


#GCAPODCAST Ep. 16: How Swiss Airlines’ Digital Twin Improves Maintenance

Marcus Di Laurenzio is the project manager for Aviatar at SWISS Airlines.

On this episode, we interview Marcus Di Laurenzio on how Swiss Airlines is using Aviatar, a platform developed by Lufthansa Technik, to digitally monitor the health of its aircraft and manage maintenance operations. Di Laurenzio, project manager for Aviatar at the airline, explains how the open platform takes in aircraft data, places it in a centralized location maintenance staff can access via a web-based dashboard, and enables the airline to use predictive maintenance to avoid grounded aircraft.

Listen to the episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.

Registration is now OPEN for GCAS 2020. We’ve made major changes to the format & focus of the event, including a heavy emphasis on AI, data and cyber, so check it out at www.gcasummit.com. We look forward to seeing you there.


American Airlines Goes All in on Satellite Connectivity

An American Airlines passenger using Wi-Fi in the business class section of an Airbus A330. Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines is turning on live television and using a satellite-focused in-flight connectivity model as the centerpiece of its new passenger experience strategy. By the end of 2019, the Texas-based operator of Airbus, Boeing and Embraer jets will have equipped the majority of its fleet with satellite-based connectivity, while featuring live-streaming television on nearly all of its in-service aircraft. American said it currently has 100 aircraft equipped with Gogo 2Ku and free live television across its Airbus A319s and A320s. Beginning in 2019, the airline will add free live television to its aircraft that are equipped with Viasat. All American aircraft feature in-flight internet from Gogo, ViaSat and Panasonic. Keeping multiple service providers and a focus on high-speed internet connectivity that can enable streaming is a major focus for American. Kurt Stache — the SVP for marketing and sales at American Airlines — told reporters at the 2018 International Aviation Forecast Summit how American is taking a flexible approach to hosting multiple service providers on board its aircraft. “By April of next year, every mainline fleet will have satellite-based Wi-Fi,” he said. “Everything but the regional jets will be satellite-based. Our widebodies are mostly Panasonic, and we split the narrow body between Gogo and ViaSat.” The airline is equipping its entire Boeing 737 MAX fleet, a model type for which it has 100 aircraft on order. One fleet of aircraft the carrier has not made a decision on yet is the Boeing 787s it will start receiving next year. Stache sees value in keeping a multi-provider strategy for the fleet, which comprises 950 aircraft and growing, according to its latest financial report. “Between ViaSat and 2Ku, they’re both producing really good results. We don’t see any differences,” said Stache. “Given the size of our fleet, it’s probably not a bad thing to have multiple providers,” he added. “We landed in a really good spot with both ViaSat and Gogo. Panasonic has been [on board] longer, but now with the narrow bodies, we think having two providers is a good thing. ViaSat is larger percentage of narrow body than Gogo.”

A New Business Model?

Another major change that American is making within its in-flight internet strategy is the business model it is using with its internet service provider Gogo. The majority of commercial airlines globally use among three different business models for providing passenger access to internet. An example is wholesale model where the airline pays the internet service provider (ISP) to provide access to internet services for passengers with a custom user interface. This wholesale model is either charged with tiered access to certain internet services and speed levels. American is transitioning to a new model that Stache describes as the airline-pricing model. “The model is changing. Until now, it’s been a commissioned-based model, so Gogo provides the service and we generate the revenue,” said Stache. “Now we’re going to what we call an airline pricing model, so we will pay the cost. We pay Gogo for every connection and then we set the pricing.” American has been seeing a steady increase of the use of its in-flight internet by passengers, according to Stache. One of the primary reasons the airline is focused on using satellite versus air-to-ground connectivity is the increased availability of bandwidth from satellite networks. “We’re seeing more and more take rates. Overall, the pricing will come down. A lot of the pricing in the past was because the pipe was so narrow, it could quickly overload,” said Stache. “The beauty about satellite-based is you don’t have that issue, you have bandwidth for everyone on the airplane so we expect take rates to improve.”