All eyes ahead - MRO, Interiors & IFEC
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SEPTEMBER 2019 | www.pax-intl.com
MRO, Interiors & IFEC
All eyes ahead BONU
S
Trolle :
cover y
The changing IFE landscape
age
APEX/AIX
SEATING, IFE &LOS ANGELES
CONNECTIVITY
TIME TO DESTINATION: 9 HOURS
ACCESS TO ENTERTAINMENT: INSTANT
Visit us at:
BOOTH #2142
Everything you need to ensure your passengers are entertained:
info@zii.aero
4K Displays RAVE Cloud Storage for Content www.zii.aero
Bluetooth Audio Fast Loading
EDITOR’S LETTER
PAX Tech
26 Pearl Street,
Mississauga, Ontario Power to
the people
L5M 1X2, Canada
Tel: (1 905) 821-3344
Fax: (1 905) 821-2777
Website: www.pax-intl.com
PUBLISHER
Aijaz Khan
A
E-mail: aijaz@globalmarketingcom.ca
s we worked up stories and adopted the practice. The downside to
EDITORIAL OFFICES content for this year’s APEX/AIX this additional revenue is seen in the
Rick Lundstrom, Editor-in-Chief issue, the subject of ancillary rev- amount of carry-on luggage that now
PAX Tech enue through a heretofore-unconsidered fills every flight. Once from my seat
723 Jefferson Street, NE source came up as a possibility, namely in the very back of a full 757, I ran a
Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA
whether passengers would consider timer to see how long it would take
Tel: (1 612) 378-0862
Fax: (1 612) 378-0852
paying to charge their electronic devices. me to deplane. It took 15 minutes.
E-mail: rick@pax-intl.com Throughout their travel experience, But getting back to the original
passengers rely heavily (whether topic, we may soon see if passengers
Rachel Debling, Managing Editor
justified or not) on the use of personal are willing to part with a small fee to
Tel: (1 905) 821-3344 x21
E-mail: rachel@pax-intl.com
electronic devices. They hold in their charge their devices. KID-Systeme
hand valuable information that could and IFPL, two companies featured
Ash Khan, Social Media Coordinator
cause serious delays and problems if lost in this issue, both have products
Tel: (1 905) 821-3344 x30
E-mail: ash@pax-intl.com
during the time they are on the move. designed to accept pay for power.
Sure enough, there is a term for Passengers have been paying indi-
CONTRIBUTORS it: nomophobia, an abbreviation for rectly for in-seat power for years. At first,
Juraj Siska “no-mobile-phone-phobia.” Though not charging stations were mainly confined
Mary Jane Pittilla
officially recognized as a psychological to front cabins and accessed by those
disorder, most can probably say they paying higher fares. Now, as airlines
A R T D E PA R T M E N T
Jessica Hearn, Art Director
know someone who exhibits its see that passengers have become more
E-mail: jessica@globalmarketingcom.ca symptoms when separated from their dependent on charged devices, they’re
mobile phone for any length of time. much more common in Economy Class.
ADVERTISING OFFICES And it is in this fear that airlines are Sooner or later, a few LCCs will
Kevin Greene, Advertising and Marketing Manager
recognizing a new potential for revenue. find a clever way to increase revenue
Tel: (1 905) 821-3344 x31 Over the years, airlines have by taking the bait, and then we’ll see
E-mail: kevin@pax-intl.com successfully convinced passengers whether the bundled fare structure
to pay for things they used to get for that has become commonplace will
PAX International and PAX Tech are published a total free. Fees for checked baggage, for take on another layer, its origin from
of 10 times a year (January/February, March/April,
instance, have become so common that an attempt to ease one of the stresses
May, June, July, September, October, December)
by PAX International, 26 Pearl Street, Mississauga,
it’s hard to find an airline that hasn’t of our technology-addicted world.
Ontario L5M 1X2, Canada. International Distribution.
Subscriptions: $200 for one year; $300 for two
years; $400 for three years. Art and photographs
will not be returned unless accompanied by
return postage. The views expressed in this
magazine do not necessarily reflect the views
and opinions of the publisher or editor. July 2019.
All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted in
whole or in part without written permission from
the publisher. © PAX International magazine
ISSN 1206-5714
Key title: Pax International
Rick Lundstrom
Editor-in-Chief
PAX International
www.pax-intl.com | PAX TECH | 3
CONTENTS
Features
GUEST COLUMN
12 BUILDING MODERN IFE SYSTEMS
Idea Nova CEO Juraj Siska takes us through the technical challenges that airlines and
IFE providers face as they seek to duplicate an on-the-ground experience for millions
of entertainment-starved passengers
SEATING
22 CHANGING WITH THE TIMES
The transition from leatherwear to leather seats has been a journey 126 years in the
24
making for Perrone Aerospace, a company that has navigated the changing aviation
landscape deftly and with passion that is apparent to those who work with them
UNIFORMS
24 PUTTING THE “FUN” IN “FUNCTIONAL”
SKYPRO prides itself on creating uniforms and footwear that not only keep airline
crew members en vogue but also safe from onboard safety hazards
IFEC
16 INFLIGHT PUBLICATIONS, À LA CARTE
As airlines search for ways to meet their customers’ sustainability requests while
providing the variety of content they demand, digital platform developer PressReader
is moving ahead on its global expansion plans with several international partnerships
18 MEDIA MAKERS
Suppliers of digital press material like newspapers and magazines deal with many of
the same challenges as other media, and France-based Adaptive has developed two
solutions that address airline concerns
28 CLOUD SEEDING
34
Efforts by prominent players to streamline the supply chain for inflight entertainment
to make it to the cabin are taking shape during this year and next
30 THE RACE FOR INFLIGHT WIFI
World leaders in satellite communication are looking to provide airline passengers
SEPTEMBER 2019 | www.pax-intl.com
with the seamless connectivity they enjoy at home. Several important developments
MRO, Interiors & IFEC
ON THE COVER: toward that end took place this summer
The Delta Studio IFE
system now contains top
IN-SEAT POWER
entertainment from 34 POWER AT HAND
Hulu. See page 10. Consumer demand (and anxiety) is dictating a future where power in the seat will be
available to millions more passengers in one form or another – and it could become
COVER IMAGE COURTESY DELTA AIR LINES
a revenue source
All eyes ahead BONU
S:
ANCILLARY REVENUE
Trolley
covera
The changing IFE landscape
ge
APEX/AIX
SEATING, IFE &LOS ANGELES
CONNECTIVITY
40 MONETIZING THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
The billions that airlines earn each year through ancillary revenue has led to
DEPARTMENTS some ingenious ways to construct and maintain a steady flow of income through
a la carte offerings
3 EDITOR’S NOTE EVENT COVERAGE
6 NEWS 42 LOOKING TO LA
The team at Reed Exhibition provided PAX with a peek at what the 2019 edition
46 FACT & FIGURES of their AIX North America show holds
4 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019
NEWS
AIRLINE
Singapore Airlines rolling out new app
Singapore Airlines this past summer launched its new Real-time information such as boarding gate details, the
mobile app for Android and iOS smartphones. destination’s weather and currency, and baggage carousel
“The new app is designed for faster performance and information are added to the “My Trips” function.
improved usability, and introduces new features that offer Users can access e-Library magazines and newspaper
passengers a seamless and more personalized experience,” content based on their KrisFlyer membership tier, as well as
said a release from the airline. “Based on a ground-up a new search and filter function to allow for easier content
rebuild and all-new underlying technical architecture, the browsing in the e-Library and KrisWorld catalog. The app
new app delivers customers significantly enhanced booking continues to enable passengers to bookmark their movies
and check-in flows, improving transaction time by up to so that they can pick up where they left off on subsequent
60%.” flights with the newest inflight entertainment systems. There
For Android users, the new app is being released by is also a KrisFlyer account dashboard and the introduction of
country between July and September, while iOS users may an inbox feature, which stores push notifications as well as
download the new app from the App Store in September. KrisFlyer messages for easy reference.
The beta version will continue to be
available for download in the meantime.
New features include:
• “Capture and Discover,” a new search
function that uses image recognition as
well as speech and natural language
processing to identify the user intent,
match it to a Singapore Airlines destination
and present relevant destination content
and fare deals.
• “Translation Assistant,” a feature that
uses real-time language translation by
voice to help travelers communicate better
when they are overseas.
• “Measure Your Baggage” which helps In addition to several new
updates, the Singapore Airlines
travelers determine if the size of their bag app allows users to manage their
is within cabin baggage limitations. viewing on the airline’s KrisWorld
inflight entertainment system
SUPPLIER
China Southern to add lie-flat beds on 787-9s
China Southern has selected AIM Altitude to provide front The monuments allow space for the lie-flat bed to extend,
row monuments (FRMs) for its 787-9 fleet. and the IFE monitor and literature pocket surrounds were
Thompson Aero Seating worked closely with AIM Altitude created to match the design and color scheme of the seats.
on the project, as well as design house factorydesign. AIM Altitude also manufactured full-height closets for the
aircraft, complete with coat rails and door-activated lights.
Colin Winterburn, Engineering Lead at AIM Altitude,
commented in a statement from the company: “There were
many complex challenges in making the whole scheme
succeed with a unified and continuous flow. For example,
integrated closets with overhead bin-ends close out in the
tapered section of the fuselage and needed to align with the
Boeing-installed structure.”
Shaun Hogarty, Project Manager for AIM Altitude, also
noted: “Our relationship with Thompson allows our two
companies to work with meticulous coordination to ensure
The monuments were made with standard composite panel
and laminate finishes to complement the seating that the finished product is equally seamless.”
6 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019
NEWS
AIRLINE CONNECTIVITY
New uniform Griffin joins executives
designs flying on at OneWeb
Turkish Airlines OneWeb has appointed Ben Griffin as its Vice President for
Commercial Aviation, leading its newly formed Commercial
Aviation team.
In his new role, based at OneWeb’s White City, London
headquarters, he will be responsible for delivering inflight
connectivity solutions, harnessing the power of low Earth
orbit (LEO) satellites with speed and low latency, to the
airline fraternity.
He brings more than 20 years’ aviation experience to
OneWeb, the last 15 of which were spent in the aircraft
connectivity sector, most recently with Inmarsat for
eight years.
“I am delighted to have joined a company with so much
potential,” said Griffin. “The OneWeb offering is by a long
way simply the best technology, best suited to the aviation
market. It stands to significantly change the landscape of
passenger connectivity with its ability to deliver consistently
strong Internet coverage across the world in a way that is
often promised, but rarely delivered.”
OneWeb is building a global communications network
with what the company says is an initial constellation of 650
satellites in LEO, scaling up to 1,980 satellites that will be
1,200 km from Earth. With a successful launch of its first
satellites in February 2019 and recent high-speed video
Turkish Airlines’ new uniforms streaming during its system tests, OneWeb is on track to
were designed by Ettore Bilotta
begin monthly launches starting in December 2019 as it
prepares for partial service in 2020 and global commercial
service in 2021.
In celebration of its 85th anniversary, Turkish Airlines OneWeb will be attending APEX EXPO in Los Angeles,
redesigned its cabin crew uniforms. This change brought California, from September 9 to 12.
the cabin, cockpit, ground handling personnel and flying
chef uniforms together under a single design to provide
passengers with a more unified brand experience. Ben Griffin
Italian haute couturier Ettore Bilotta designed the cabin
uniforms, which were specially sewn by Vakko. The main
fabrics were produced by Altınyıldız, based on the compli-
ance of Turkish Airlines with flight standards. Garments
were tested on long-range flights in different climates and
were tailored to each cabin employee to ensure comfort
while serving passengers.
In a release statement, M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the
Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines,
said; “I believe that our brand’s presence in the skies will be
much more impressive when the new cabin uniforms,
which bear elements of our culture, are combined with the
elegance of our cabin crews.”
The new cabin uniforms (in flag-red and anthracite gray
colors) were inspired by the many classical details in
Turkish culture, from the currents of the Bosphorus to the
artisanal glassware, ceramics and calligraphy patterns
produced by local artisans.
8 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019
NEWS
AIRLINE
Delta adds Hulu content to IFE
Delta Air Lines’ inflight entertainment line-up now offers The full list of Hulu titles available on Delta include:
passengers more media options as Hulu Originals titles join
the carrier’s selection of 3,000 movies, TV shows and music The Handmaid’s Tale (Drama; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
already available on on its Delta Studio system. The Mindy Project (Comedy; Season 4, Episodes 1-6)
Beginning in August, titles such as The Handmaid’s Tale Marvel’s Runaways (Action, Sci-Fi; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
and Fyre Fraud are available to Delta passengers, including Castle Rock (Drama, Horror; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
those on its 700th aircraft now equipped with seatback Casual (Comedy; Season 1, Episodes 1-4)
screens, free of charge. Light As A Feather (Thriller; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Director – Onboard Product and The Act (Crime, Drama; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
Customer Experience, said in a statement from Delta: Shrill (Comedy; Season 1, Episodes 1-3)
“Customers continue to tell us entertainment is a top Batman and Bill (Documentary film)
priority. That’s why we keep extending our lead in having Fyre Fraud (Documentary film)
more aircraft with seatback entertainment than any other Ask Dr. Ruth (Documentary film)
airline in the world, and continue partnering with entertain- Minding the Gap (Documentary film)
ment giants like Hulu to bring customers at-home favorites Into the Dark: New Year, New You (Horror film)
at 30,000 feet. These investments reinforce Delta’s reputa-
tion as the entertainment airline.”
More than a dozen Hulu Original programs join
the 3,000 movies and TV shows on Delta
COMPANY
Aircraft Cabin Systems acquired by Latécoère
In July, Latécoère announced they are moving to acquire systems with high-quality products and to offer its custom-
the monitor business of Aircraft Cabin Systems (ACS). ers the systems’ entire value chain, from the camera to the
Created in 1999, ACS is a major monitor supplier for the passenger or cockpit screen.
aeronautics sector. The group holds more than 100 Yannick Assouad, Latécoère CEO, said in a statement:
certifications on products dedicated to inflight entertain- “This transaction allows us to complete our product range
ment, and its monitors, ranging from six to 80 inches, are in the aircraft cabin sector, while strengthening our
tailor-made and include high-tech features such as HD, 4K footprint in the United States, as close as possible to our
and various types of connectivity. They are produced in customers. We also intend to expand our business jet
small series for a wide number of aircraft, including market share by offering a tailor-made global solution to
business jets as well as Airbus and Boeing programs. our most demanding customers.”
This transaction allows Latécoère’s Interconnection The transaction, subject to customary approvals, is
Systems division to expand its existing range of video expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2019.
10 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019TM
SYNTHETIC
• Appearance of flawless, genuine leather
• Available in breathable option MARKETING
• Unlimited colors & multiple grains
• Ink and stain resistant
• Anti-microbial MAINTENANCE
• Unsurpassed abrasion resistance
• Lightest weight synthetic available
• Fire retardant ENGINEERING
• 100% certifiable by similarity
• Low acquisition cost
• Shortest R.O.I FINANCE
• 90% or greater cutting yield
• Lighter weight = lower fuel consumption
We’ve got you covered.
US |182 Riverside Drive | Fultonville, NY 12072 | 800.871.5847 | 001.518.853.4300 WWW.PERRONEAERO.COM
FRANCE | 127 Avenue de la Republique | 92120 Montrouge - France | +33 140.848.287 | +33.140.848.288
SINGAPORE | 2, Tuas South Ave .2 #06-06 | 637601 - Singapore | +011.65.8826.1785 | +011.65.8812.1007GUEST COLUMN
Building modern
IFE systems
IdeaNova CEO Juraj Siska takes us through
the technical challenges airlines and IFE
providers face as they seek to duplicate
an on-the-ground experience for millions
of entertainment-starved passengers
P “
assengers want to be enter- existing legacy systems. We now have
tained. Now more than ever, more choices, and therefore careful It’s always good to
they bring their own devices
and explore seatback displays
decision-making is necessary when
building or updating your existing IFE.
plan for the future.
with the expectation of having the Think in terms of
same experience as the one they have
on the ground. With better displays,
Content quality and security
Passengers and airlines around the
higher quality
more content and high demand for world are now demanding HD or even content and what
quality, the complexity of delivering
to customer expectations grows.
higher quality content. IFE providers
are working hard to meet these
storage and security
Unknown to most passengers, being demands. As the screen size and quality requirements you
entertained at 30,000 feet is much
more difficult than clicking the Netflix
improve, passengers can distinguish
between standard definition (SD)
have to satisfy in
button on their tablets at home. I’ll content and higher quality content your new hardware.”
walk through some of the complexities in the form of HD or even higher - JURAJ SISKA, CEO IDEANOVA
that are well known to the providers 4K (a.k.a UHD) or HDR quality.
of IFE who are pushed to extend their Airlines are likely to service this demand three to four times more.
legacy systems to deliver high-definition content to at least their premium HD content requires more space and
(HD) content. New vendors are class passengers on built-in seatback will therefore create more demand for
building platforms to stream live or screens or delivered to passengers’ storage on already space-constrained IFE
high dynamic range (HDR) quality devices via existing, in-cabin Wi-Fi systems designed a decade ago. Storage
media with early window distribution networks. From the technical perspec- is not the only design concern. Large
rights. Maturing standards and the tive, this has traditionally raised two files require more time to upload and
demand for interoperability in the issues: performance and security. manage, which is affecting aircraft down-
media space provide an opportunity to For example, delivering HD content time. Large files are taxing the network
simplify media management for IFEs, will require two to five times more systems not only during the upload,
make best use of available storage and bandwidth than SD, and delivering 4K but also during the content streaming
maximize content quality with their or UHD will increase this bandwidth phase, imposing new requirements on
in-cabin wired or wireless networks.
Security creates two interesting
challenges: HD and higher-quality
content requires protection of license
servers that, according to the recent
APEX 0415 specification, leverages
hardware components for encryption
and other complex rules for ensuring
content security credentials cannot be
compromised and illegally acquired.
Many of these components were not
built into IFE systems used on aircraft.
For example, the Trusted Platform
Module (TPM) or Secure Execution
Environment (SEE) have been only
recently introduced to Intel central
12 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019GUEST COLUMN
on many platforms. Airlines and IFE
providers have more leverage with
integrating decoders when designing
and building seatback systems. Unfor-
tunately, support for personal device
entertainment is limited to the support
of encoders built into the mobile devices
by the manufacturers. Although H.265
has now been widely adopted by Apple
on devices newer than iPhone 7, the rest
of the platforms, especially in-browser
playback, are catching up and might
not always provide unanimous support
processing units (CPUs) used by IFE tion. Since the best practice is to encrypt for H.265. If IFE providers are building
suppliers, and there is no real deploy- video and audio tracks, storage require- systems that rely on software decoding,
ment of similar hardware configuration ments increase beyond the duplication of they must account for performance
on the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) video track to the size increase attributed and associated power demands (hence
platform. Furthermore, upgrading to all supported audio files. While the in-seat power plugs might be necessary).
existing IFE servers is a complex task audio files are in general smaller than The industry is finally moving away
that requires aviation authorities’ the video files, adding a handful or from visible watermarking, as this
certification, aircraft manufacturer more audio files together adds up to technology did not provide a lot of
recertification, and many months of the size of a single SD video track. protection and impacted artistic value
preparation and engineering work. Not all video has to be DRM of the streaming content. Forensic
Portable IFE systems have grown encrypted, yet non-DRM content deliv- watermarking plays a bigger role that
in popularity as they provide rapid ery can be complex as well. If it becomes must be accounted for when preparing
deployment of IFE features, exercising only an afterthought for many airlines content for aircraft distribution as the
exceptions to some of the Federal and IFE providers, the processing, payload, protection of forensic identifier
Aviation Administration requirements storage and overall customer experience and overall integration depends on the
imposed on built-in IFE equipment. suffers from fragmented implementation type of content and device. In general,
The new APEX specification 0415 that looks and feels different than the the higher the content quality and the
has been amended mainly based delivery of their premium content that less control the airline has about the
on input from studios to ensure the requires encryption. This does not have display, the more complex is the payload
portable devices meet the standards to be so, as standardization of the file and its protection. Integration of forensic
of security more than any other format for playback across multiple watermarking with DRM, especially
components of the IFE landscape. devices is possible, so it’s possible to if dynamic session is required (flight
Delivering premium content will reuse or subtitle files and in some cases or device information), can increase
become increasingly hard, and IFE audio tracks. A successful IFE system, or double the size of the content.
vendors will have to carefully evaluate when planned and designed properly,
their choice of platform, processors and should leverage the same assets as much Looking ahead
overall design to continue supplying as possible for seamless user experience It’s always good to plan for the future.
IFE functionality with features, or and optimal resource utilization. Think in terms of higher quality
relegate their support to standard- content and what storage and security
definition, non-premium content. Encoding and watermarking requirements you have to satisfy in
Storage requirements are further Over the years, our industry has seen your new hardware. While you might
challenged by the target platforms that many encoding algorithms that help us not always accomplish single-file
need support. In the wide range of to stream and deliver content more effi- distribution across the many devices
available seatback and personal devices, ciently. These range from efficient H.264 your IFE needs to support, careful
the storage needs to account for several and even more efficient H.265 codecs to planning and considering all design
encoding specifications and at least two newer standards such as AV1 that appear options will almost always provide better
flavors of encryption. The encoding to be less riddled with legal licensing results and more efficient operations.
specs range from 500 kbps to several loopholes. In general, the newer the The media-streaming field is advancing
megabits per second and are based encoding algorithm, the less likely it is rapidly, and changes in standards and
on the desired quality and available that either hardware or software (OS or adaptation of new technologies by device
network bandwidth in the cabin. The browser) will support it ubiquitously and software manufacturers are constant.
desire to support passenger devices with
encrypted content might also result in
Juraj Siska is an IT professional with a fruitful history of building secure
the storing of multiple file formats of
IT systems. After a successful IT consulting career, he started IdeaNova
the same movie. While the industry is
Technologies, which provides IFE products and services to avionics customers
converging on CBC-S DRM encryp-
worldwide. Siska has led IdeaNova for over a decade of bringing innovation
tion, some legacy devices that predate
and professionalism to its clients. He graduated from Iowa State with a PhD
Android 7.1 support only CTR encryp-
and is the company’s CEO, overseeing business and technical implementation
of the next generation of IFE systems. Visit ideanovatech.com for more.
14 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019IFEC
Inflight
publications,
à la carte
by RACHEL DEBLING
Publications from more
than 120 countries are
represented on the app
As airlines search for ways to meet their customers’ sustainability requests while
providing the variety of content they demand, digital platform developer PressReader
is moving ahead on its global expansion plans with several international partnerships
W
ith a library represent-
ing the cultures and
preferred content of
more than 120 countries,
PressReader is determined to carve out
a niche for itself on board in the rapidly
growing digital publication sector.
In the first quarter of 2019, the
company made big strides toward this
goal when it announced a partnership
with Turkish Airlines in which the car-
rier’s passengers and guests of its lounges
are provided access to its databank of
content for 48 hours, a huge boon for
the Richmond, British Columbia-based
Passengers on Turkish Airlines are offered access to PressReader’s library
free of charge for the 48 hours surrounding their flight
16 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019to sharing, commenting, bookmarking
and more, we’ve always focused on what
readers will not just appreciate but will,
PressReader adds nearly
100 new publication titles
in fact, expect from a premium product.”
to its app every month PressReader’s sponsored access model
also sets it apart from other applications.
While users can purchase monthly
subscriptions or opt for a pay-as-you-go
purchase, PressReader partners with
thousands of hotels, airlines (like
Turkish), cruise ships, libraries and other
businesses that pay for their customers
and employees to have access to the
platform’s wealth of information. “It’s
a win-win-win for readers, brands
and publishers,” Malyarov stressed.
Its model also provides a more stable
and profitable outlet for publishers,
as it offers both paid and free content.
“If the publisher is looking to generate
extra revenue in addition to reaching
new audiences, in both single-copy sales
and our all-you-can-read (flat-rate)
subscription models we work on either
a per-copy royalty, a license fee or a
combination of both,” Malyarov said.
business. (It also counts Dublin as head- credibility and, ultimately, superiority. “We’re quite flexible, as long as it works
quarters for its international offices.) For starters, PressReader cuts through for both parties.” This approach, as
“There’s been a real shift in the way the “crowded and confusing” digital opposed to the sometimes employed
both consumers and the industry think publication and distribution landscape “time spent” model, ensures that it’s
about news and magazine content,” thanks to its variety of mediums, encom- not just the biggest publishers that
said Alex Kroogman, Chief Executive passing both magazines and newspapers. get paid. PressReader also welcomes
Officer of PressReader, in a March (Most other digital platforms, including publishers who provide their content
statement announcing the Turkish the Apple-owned Texture, offer only on the platform free of charge as a
partnership. “Now, it’s part of the magazines, which PressReader points way of improving their reach, which is
travel experience. For us, that means out not only limits the quantity of especially attractive to publications that
we are always thinking first about the content available but is also a much undergo annual circulation audits.
reader – or the passenger. We want to easier process than keeping up with In the inflight arena, sky-bound Press-
create an experience that truly con- robust daily editions, as PressReader Reader clients include Cathay Pacific,
nects them to the rest of the world.” must do.) Much more than a simple British Airways, Iberia, Air Canada and
The company’s team keeps its ear PDF version of a print publication, the Virgin Australia, among others, and
to the ground for exciting and new PressReader app offers flexibility for the company is eager to expand further.
content, adding approximately 100 publishers and ease-of-use for the end To that end, its team partnered with
new publication titles to its platform user (i.e. airline passengers) with the APEX a few years ago for a survey that
every month. As Nikolay Malyarov, ability for the reader to select how their queried airline executives on what their
PressReader’s EVP and Chief Content content is displayed to them, no matter passenger entertainment strategy looked
Officer, explained to PAX in June, global the original form of the publication. like, and how they planned on imple-
coverage is of the utmost importance to When it comes to the user experience, menting it. The responses at the time,
the burgeoning company, as it wants to the technology the company employs said Malyarov, were quite conservative.
represent all travelers, no matter their to bring these publications to life in “Passengers, like you and I, are accel-
interests or where they hail from. “We a digital format has been 20 years in erating this process with our changing
want to ensure [passengers] can access the making. Innovation, its team says, needs and habits,” he noted. “Airlines are
content from their home country or is the foundation of the company. looking to remove extra weight off the
home town, in their native language,” he “Interactivity and versatility are just aircraft to save fuel and, absolutely, help
said, adding that if passengers happen some of the attributes that distinguish the environment. Some have removed
to access something outside of these our product from others,” Malyarov and more will choose not to install
parameters, the PressReader system explained. “From multiple viewing in-seat IFE systems to reduce weight as
can help them understand what they’re options (graphical, print replica and well. Faster, cheaper and more user-
reading through its translation services. text flow that’s specifically optimized friendly technology coupled with the
When comparing its service to its to different mobile platforms) to our above changes are all contributing to the
competitors, the PressReader team offers text-to-speech audio feature, to on-the- shift in the industry.” And that’s exactly
ample evidence that they say lends to its fly translation into up to 18 languages, where PressReader hopes to come in.
www.pax-intl.com | PAX TECH | 17IFEC
Media
makers
Suppliers of digital press material like newspapers and magazines deal
with many of the same challenges as other media, and France-based
Adaptive has developed two solutions that address airline concerns
by RICK LUNDSTROM
A
s airlines move fast to make inflight
MOST READ entertainment and connectivity
PUBLICATIONS options more plentiful and easily
ON ADAPTIVE’S accessible to their passengers, the
SYSTEMS inevitable bottlenecks in delivering this stream-
ing content have occurred, oftentimes leaving
The New York Times the user holding a personal electronic device
Newsweek and waiting for their selected item to load.
Financial Times The providers of digital press content share
Top Gear those challenges with providers of video and
Die Welt audio. When a cabin is filled with passengers
Personal electronic devices give working their PEDs, even an innocuous, gray
Le Figaro passengers the option of viewing
publications before and during flights newspaper article can end up in the queue and
may not load immediately.
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reduces the amount of bandwidth required for accessing
reading material, saving the airline money and the user time.
To accomplish both those tasks in the highly complex cabin
environment, Adaptive developed the Stream Reader. The
proprietary file format adds a step in the acquisition process of
a story from a digital publication, splitting the digital content
into multiple tiles as opposed to full images. With that process,
the bandwidth required to access the content is limited.
“Usually when you stream content for a newspaper or
a magazine there is a [time] lag associated to that because
every time you look for the information you do not have it
locally stored,” says Laurent Safar, co-founder and CEO of
Adaptive. “We have used a variety of techniques to change
“
that and have a normal instantaneous display of the content.”
With Stream Reader, Adaptive has added a number of
We do not know of any other features such as, in addition to traditional scrolling, the ability
to “pinch” content with fingers to zoom. A mode developed
company that is able to deliver within Stream Reader gives passengers the opportunity to
that industrial power to screen personalize the app’s appearance, which is especially helpful
for readers with special visual needs. Written content can be
thousands of newspapers and adjusted to change font size, line spacing and contrast. The
magazines every day.” content can also be integrated into an airline’s IFE system in
multiple ways, regardless of the technology’s architecture, and
– LAURENT SAFAR, CO-FOUNDER can be adapted to the airline’s onboard app, if so desired.
AND CEO OF ADAPTIVE Adaptive sees Steam Reader as an ideal solution for airlines
that offer wireless IFE streaming to passengers’ personal
electronic devices. Adaptive recently supplied the platform
for the French Business Class-only airline La Compagnie
for use on its A321neo flights to the United States.
Monitoring marginal content
As Stream Reader allows access to a portfolio of thousands of
mainstream media publications from the around the world,
airlines may be concerned about nudity or other images of
a sensitive nature showing up on their passengers’ devices.
Adaptive has Adaptive has proactively responded to this potential demand
a portfolio of by developing an automated content moderation tool that
thousands of
publications scans digital images for nudity and rates each image with a
delivered through
the company’s
percentage score. The tool can then be used to automatically
Stream Reader or manually replace all the images above a certain percentage
system
score, determined by the customer. Images that are removed
would be replaced with a message agreed upon by the
airline customer. Users can view the questionable images,
if they so choose, on a dashboard-style screen that can be
monitored by the airline or by someone from Adaptive.
Safar is sure the new feature is a first of its kind in the
industry. “We do not know of any other company that is
able to deliver that industrial power to screen thousands of
newspapers and magazines every day, every week and every
month and provide such a level of consistency,” he says.
While still seeking a launch customer, he said airlines in the
That lag time between selecting and accessing digital Middle East, Asia and Europe have expressed interest.
content from thousands of available publications has led Adaptive has broad customer base of airlines that initially
Toulouse-based Adaptive to develop a faster and more efficient selected its ACES mobile reader solution. Among the custom-
follow-on to its ACES digital press product selected by many ers are Singapore Airlines, SAS, Qatar Airways and TAP Air
airlines. At April’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, the company Portugal. The company has also found customers in airport
showed potential customers a new web-based reader that lounges across Europe and in other transportation providers.
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Changing
with the times
The transition from leatherwear to leather seats has
been a journey 126 years in the making for Perrone
Aerospace, a company that has navigated the
changing aviation landscape deftly and with a passion
that is apparent to those who work with them
Featherweight Commercial
by RACHEL DEBLING Leather remains a popular
product in Perrone’s portfolio
F
ounded more than 100 years ago in Gloversville, New
Leather being cleaned by York as the Perrone Glove company (later shifting
a Perrone team member
at its repair station to Perrone Leather when it transitioned to pilot and
crew uniforms), Perrone Aerospace has grown in size and
scope alongside the industry in which it has found its niche.
“Right around the time Perrone Leather was formed,
airlines were making the switch from fabric seats to all leather
covers throughout the aircraft,” explains Marc Cognetti, the
company’s Director of Marketing. But this was only part of the
reason the company set its sights on the aviation industry. In
1900, only seven years after the founding of its namesake glove
business, Perrone found a new neighbor in the Karg Brothers
Tannery, the area’s largest tannery at the time, which set up
shop just a few doors away from Perrone’s original operations.
Bill Perrone Sr. and Jr. partnered with Bart Avery of Karg
Brothers to form Perrone Aviation Leather, which eventually
became Perrone Aerospace, and a century later the company
has quadrupled its original 25,000-square-foot footprint
and now counts 100 full-time employees among its ranks.
As Cognetti explains, the transition from gloves and
aviation uniforms to aviation upholstery was natural. “With the
Perrone’s history and sales experience in the airline business,
and Bart Avery on board specializing in tanning and leather
finishing, they had every aspect of the business covered,” he
says. “Perrone Aerospace has history, and people trust that.
In moving from gloves to apparel to aviation upholstery, the
quality has never deteriorated.” That initial step, he notes,
22 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019Perrone joined forces with Bart Avery,
grandson of one of the owners of
the Karg Brothers Tannery, seen
here in the early 20th century
allowed Perrone to push into the corporate and general aviation
sector with ease and provided room to showcase just what their
leather and textiles could offer the interior of any aircraft.
One of these materials is Featherweight Commercial
Leather, a product unique to Perrone. As one of the first
innovations to be brought to market after the business was
formed, it offers commercial and corporate carriers a lighter
option and is made to perform with strength and stamina.
GETTING
And, since weight is a large factor to consider when designing
any product for an aircraft, it was an immediate success.
As Cognetti notes: “At the time [when it was first devel-
GREENER
oped], the Perrone Featherweight Leather line addressed this
issue in a way that had not been done before. The uniqueness of
this product lies in its look, feel and durability. To the untrained
eye, you cannot tell the difference between Featherweight and
standard leather, but the costs add up tremendously when it
comes to weight savings.” The product, he says, is two-thirds In his own words, Marc Cognetti shares some
of the weight of traditional leather, without compromising insights into Perrone’s passion for sustainability
performance and durability, and he points to the success “About 10 years ago when we expanded our
story of the first airline customer to take the solution on facility, we were able to expand the capacity of our
board as proof: its US$10 million investment, or about 90,000 FAA repair station, gaining VIV130X status and EASA
seats, translated to a return of US$14 million per year. “At 145.5966 status. In doing so, we became one of the
that time, this type of saving was unheard of,” he enthuses. nation’s largest cleaner, repairer, and refinisher
Perrone is also expanding into a new market where it of FAA burn-certified aircraft upholstery leather.
hopes to find great success: railways. Through its Perrone “Climate change is a global issue right now.
Railway division, the company is broadening its focus back It is certainly not a new topic, but it has become
to earth with a new team of specialists and a line of products increasingly critical in the aviation industry.
developed specifically for this vast market. “In the next 10 There is a learning curve for those of us who are
years, I see the rail market expanding dramatically, and I relatively new to the conversation. We are making
see Perrone Railway expanding with it,” Cognetti predicts. progress and will continue to do our part, but we
In the end, Cognetti says whether speaking of aircraft or don’t expect to solve the problem overnight. We
railcars, upholstery plays an important role in the perceived have made strides in eco-friendly products, pro-
value a passenger places on their experience – it is, after all, duction and manufacturing. Commercial airlines
what they interact with the most throughout their journey. And are continuing to try to reduce weight, both our
Perrone’s team of trained professionals will bring the personal Featherweight Genuine Leather and EnduraLite
touch to every project they take on, no matter how big or small. synthetic product lines have addressed that.
“When a customer calls our office, they deal with a customer “One piece of our business that I think is impor-
service representative specifically assigned to their account,” tant to keep in mind is the value we place on the
Cognetti says. “Everything is handled on a personal level life cycle of the leather once it leaves our hands.
and we pride ourselves on that. We consider ourselves to be We are responsible for the care of our leather
a boutique business with each solution customized to the from the time it comes in as a hide, throughout
customer. We make each sample on request, per the customer’s the life of the finished dress cover. Not only do we
specifications. Our team will match color swatches to a manufacture the leather for airline seats here, but
customer’s photograph, sample or color code until we are sure we repair and clean seats here as well, keeping
it is perfect.” With that attention to detail, Perrone Aerospace thousands of seats out of landfills each year.”
guarantees it will deliver just what its clients need – and
in turn what their customers’ customers will compliment
and remember long after they arrive at their destination.
www.pax-intl.com | PAX TECH | 23UNIFORMS
Putting the “fun”
in “functional”
“We are sure we will be the Nike of aviation
world,” Jorge Pinto, SKYPRO’s CEO, told PAX Tech SKYPRO has an
airline customer
base of more than
50 carriers, including
SKYPRO prides itself Qatar Airways,
Emirates, FlyEgypt,
on creating uniforms Austrian Airlines and
TAP Air Portugal
and footwear that not
only keep airline crew
members en vogue but
also safe from common
onboard safety hazards
by RACHEL DEBLING
D
esigned to represent an airline
and uphold their corporate
branding, cabin crew uniforms
often fall under the unfortunate “utilitar- the professional atmosphere a carrier (IATA), the SKYPRO team has the
ian” category – comfortable and easy to wishes to impart. Between those two track record to deliver projects for
wear, but not always on the cutting edge. extremes is where SKYPRO, a footwear carriers of all sizes. In fact, SKYPRO
Many airlines are attempting to and uniform company that caters to the was the first global brand to develop
change this reputation by partnering inflight industry, proudly finds itself. footwear specifically made for aviation
with high-end brands and fashion For years, the company has developed professionals, according to Ana Cor-
designers for their revamped cabin crew uniforms and shoes for airlines, cruise reia, Market Specialist at SKYPRO.
collections – Japan Airlines, for one, lines, casinos and even police forces, “One of our priorities is the safety of
recently worked with Yasutoshi Ezumi, catering to customers’ specific needs, our airline professionals,” explains Cor-
a renowned name in Japanese fashion, based on their industry and the certifica- reia. “This is the reason why we put so
to breathe new life into its onboard, tions they therefore must adhere to. much energy and focus on the research
support staff and ground uniforms. And with an airline customer base of of the most advanced technologies. We
But when it comes to footwear, it’s more than 50 carriers, including Qatar have also partnered with many research
a bit more difficult – the sky-high Airways, Emirates, FlyEgypt, Austrian institutes in order to constantly be up to
stilettos seen on the runway are too Airlines and TAP Air Portugal, and date with tourism and footwear trends.”
garish and, to be frank, dangerous and as the only uniform company that is Its expertise in this area is one of the
impractical for onboard wear, while a recognized strategic partner of the reasons that SKYPRO has flourished in
flashy or casual sneakers take away from International Air Transport Association recent years. Jorge Pinto, the company’s
24 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019Product Family
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CEO, reports that over the last year fashion landscape. The company recently
SKYPRO has recently entered
SKYPRO has not only increased its launched black patent as a new color the consumer footwear
sales by 42% but has also increased its option, for example, and a colorful new market, thanks to distribution
deals with online retailers
workforce by 20%. And though business- line containing on-trend hues such as
to-business sales, such as those between cream, red, camel and blue ocean has
SKYPRO and the aviation industry, been introduced to the U.S. market.
make up the majority of the company’s Pinto explains that this strategy is
business, Pinto says that its consumer twofold. “By launching this new collec-
collections are rapidly expanding, with tion, we aim to target not only crews, but
more than 50 styles currently available also [other] customers – the frequent
via its online retail platform. SKYPRO’s travelers and other, regular workers,” he
sales have increased greatly alongside the says. Some of the collections lend well
Internet shopping revolution, allowing to this crossover effect. For instance,
it to push even further into the global though initially created for consumers,
market. After opening a U.S. location styles in navy and blue ocean have found
in 2016, the company dove into the success on Alaska Airlines, where flight
consumer footwear market, thanks to attendants are given the option to wear
distribution deals with online giants these colors as part of their uniforms.
Zappos, Shoes.com and Amazon. With the hard work and passion
Generally speaking, Pinto notes it that each member of the SKYPRO
takes about six months from the begin- team brings to the table, Pinto said he
ning of the design process until a shoe believes the company is destined to
collection is ready to launch. However, push the limits of what is fashionable in
full uniforms, like those seen on the flight. He notes: “We are sure we will be
aforementioned airlines, can take twice the Nike of aviation world, and we are
as long, depending on the scope. Styles working to be the global uniforms and
and bespoke options are constantly being footwear leader for aviation profession-
updated, to keep pace with customer als.” Watch this space for more on this
demands and the ever-changing ambitious company in the future.
Providing factory direct inflight service items for over 60 years to airlines world-wide.
MILLS
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InflightDirect MILLS Mills Textiles
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sales@InflightDirect.com Contact Tom, Tim or Graham for information. sales@millstextiles.com
26 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019SAVE THE DATE
30 MARCH
2 APRIL 2020
WELCOME ONBOARD.
Defining the future of the global passenger experience industry. Four
leading events, one week, one destination. Delivering content, driving
innovation and developing connections to transform your business.
Showcasing the latest cabin interiors, inflight entertainment and
connectivity, passenger comfort, catering, retail offerings and software
technology to create the ultimate passenger experience.
passengerexperienceweek.com
30 MARCH 2020
4 LEADING EVENTS Organised by: In co-operation with:
1 WEEK - 1 DESTINATIONIFEC
Cloud
seeding by RICK LUNDSTROM
Cloud computing, trialed and
discussed for years, aims
to create news efficiencies
in the IFE supply chain
W
hen asked to relate The process starts when content
Efforts by prominent the process in which providers aggregate material and send
players to streamline a movie or television in a compressed version to post produc-
product or any tion companies. It is then encoded
the supply chain for other content makes its way from its in multiple files into various versions
inflight entertainment origin to the seatback of an aircraft, and submasters and compressed from
Michael Childers, now a consultant for spectacular theater versions into one
to make it to the Lufthansa Systems and Chairman of that fits an IFE format. As the juggernaut
cabin are taking the APEX Technology Committee, lays moves along the Byzantine chain on the
out a process in eight to nine specific way to the airline customer, there are
shape during this steps, each simplified for explanation additional submaster versions made,
year and next and each containing a number of language and subtitles are added, quality
other steps and requirements. control checks for the suitability of the
28 | PAX TECH | SEPTEMBER 2019of the Netflix and Hulus; but it is clear aforementioned 45 to 60 days to 24 to
that it is moving in the right direction. 48 hours from receipt of the Mezzanine
Key players like Lufthansa Systems by castLabs to delivery to the integration
and Global Eagle Entertainment are facility, reducing delivery time by weeks.
taking important steps to moving the
Michael supply chain that takes content from One with the cloud
Childers, the studio to the aircraft into another Global Eagle Entertainment’s digital
Consultant
for Lufthansa realm that will speed the process, make content supply technology is known
Systems
it more cost efficient and prepare it for as Open™, and the platform is now
future changes in screen resolution. live with three airline customers.
Amazon, one of the companies that “Our Open™ platform optimizes the
is rewriting the book on logistics workflow for the cloud environment
efficiency, is at the heart of the process. and tracks content from acquisition to
Some of the processes of the future delivery, collecting data which drives
are already live with customers and other improved analytics,” states a description
are being tested. By the time Lufthansa of the product in a recent report to
images, purchase orders are generated, Flight 452 touches down in Los Angeles, shareholders. “The platform will enable
watermarks added and finally the some visitors to this year’s APEX Expo new efficiencies and capabilities for 4K/
version that the passenger will see can will probably get an update on Lufthansa HD content, broader content selection
be either delivered by hand to an aircraft Systems’ efforts to supply entertainment and greater content customization.”
for download or electronically supplied. content from cloud computing. For Through this year and next, Global
In between there are emails and PDF the second year in a row, the company Eagle will be transitioning the product
documents generated and telephone will hold its Flying Lab, departing for airline customers. One of the people
calls are made. The process creates a from Munich that will feature lectures involved heavily in the move toward
supply chain that can take from 45 to and presentations on the latest trends Open™ is Chris Esposito, who has been
60 days. Such a process, Childers says, driving the passenger experience. with the company for two years and has
generally requires a 30-day exhibition a background in broadcasting. He is
period (whether the content is popular LH Systems in the cloud Global Eagle’s Chief Technology Officer.
or not) for the costs to be amortized. Lufthansa Systems, along with partners “One of the biggest things we
“This process, as you can imagine, castLabs, a cloud-based post-production needed to get right is how do we move
is slow, cumbersome and expensive. facility, and Amazon Web Services are away from a manual, unintegrated
And it is out of date,” Childers says. four years into a trial program looking supply chain to a fully global integrated
The supply chain for IFE content is at alternatives to the current supply supply chain,” says Esposito. The
something the industry as a whole has chain for inflight entertainment. company is also seeking to increase
been grappling with for several years. Under the trial, Lufthansa Systems the type and breadth of content and
The APEX Technical Committee has for receives Mezzanine files (a compressed is working with research institutes
at least five years has been working to master video file used to produce and the data analytics that help the
bring the industry up to a more efficient additional compressed video streams company decide what to license.
method of delivery and handling and downloads) that they have sent With the Open™ platform, airlines
of inflight entertainment content. directly to castLabs. Hundreds of files can log in and browse the company’s
Companies are taking significant steps each month were stored in the cloud offering title by title. The company
forward this year and into the next. and transcoding was also done in the works with Amazon Web Services
In some ways it could not come cloud. The files were then watermarked and other partners to run the Open™
soon enough. Airlines – especially the with Lufthansa Systems (for example, the platform airline can log into the
ones that count Skytrax Awards – are LSY watermark), and the company adds Global Eagle selection of content.
vocally anxious to be among the first at integration the airline watermark.
to bring aboard a selection of HDR “By bifurcating that watermarking
and 4K content to their seatback process we eliminated a significant
screens and their passengers’ personal number of submasters as well as the
electronic devices. Data analytics, a expense associated with that,” Childers
subject that Childers and others will says. Also during the trial, quality con-
take up during a panel discussion at trol was done in an automated process
this year’s APEX event, gives airlines with the help of another company. This Chris Esposito,
the possibility to tap into new pas- reduced the time and content integration Chief Technical
Officer for
sengers’ likes and dislikes and addresses which further drove down the cost Global Eagle
Entertainment
the need to make quick changes in Childers said traditional delivery
inflight entertainment content. costs for the process today could run in
It may be awhile yet before all the the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
pieces fall into place, and an industry By working in the cloud, costs were cut
that represents a small segment of the in most cases less than $100. Delivery
world of entertainment is up to the speed time was also greatly reduced from the
www.pax-intl.com | PAX TECH | 29You can also read
