for December 18, 2006
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http://www.airfax.com/airfax/ifexpress/ifexpress12182006.htm
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Hot Topic: AeroMobile and the Holy Grail!
Historically,
in-flight telephony has long been the airline financial Holy Grail, or so
IFE vendors would have you think. While past experience with in-seat
telephony has been financially catastrophic, airlines and communication
service providers feel that airplanes, like churches, synagogues, and
mosques, remain some of the few spots on earth where portable telephones are
absent. Previous aircraft telephony failures were always explained away as
‘death by ubiquitous cell phone pricing and availability’, however, there
were some success stories. Still, 3 to 5 bucks per minute will not garner
the usage needed to drive airlines to install hardware. While price per
minute appears to be a very important driver in the determination of usage,
it is not the only one. Studies have shown passenger usage could be
positively influenced when coupled to one’s personal cell phone (and
billing). Logic, therefore, dictates our price algorithm. “The closer one
gets to one’s cell phone minute pricing and personal cell phone use, the
more the phone will be used on an airplane.” That is where AeroMobile comes
in.
Our web story is about cell phones and airplanes, a combination that has not had much of a history. Aeromobile and their recently announced service planning for flying passengers is a new solution for a need that never seems to go away. Forget for the minute, the issue of psychological or sociological acceptance; consider the in-flight telephone demand demonstrated by Emirate customers. The airline has been able to log some 6000 calls per month by aggressive pricing and astute promotion. Travelers, especially high value customers, want to stay in contact, either because it means money or what money brings, or simply because they can. Either way, they will pay to do so. Thus, even lower prices and a cell phone-based solution for the airplane makes AeroMobile a good business decision – or will in the future.
Aeromobile is a 50/50 joint venture between Telenor and ARINC and is as much as much hardware as it is software. We note that Emirates is the launch customer for this breakthrough solution utilizing passenger cell phones and existing sitcom hardware. The airline will utilize Inmarsat communication services, currently Classic & Swift 64 and with the AeroMobile design, they promise to deliver a new paradigm in both price and application. Voice, text, cell phones, and airplanes, what a combination.
Editor's Note: This is our last issue
for 2006... the staff at AIRFAX.com and IFExpress wish you a very happy
holiday. We look forward to bringing you the latest IFE news again in
2007!
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Asiana celebrates 100th
aircraft delivery with another A330
12/18/2006 9:45:22 PM
BMI Opens The Box
12/18/2006 9:42:43 PM
IFPL Audio Jacks Complement
British Airways’ New Club World
12/18/2006 9:41:35 PM
Thales Offers INCAM As
Standard Audio Jack For TopSeries IFE System
12/18/2006 9:40:22 PM
Boeing Delivers 600th 777
12/18/2006 9:38:18 PM
Boeing, Kenya Airways Sign
Deal for 3 Additional 787s-8s
12/18/2006 9:37:42 PM
Boeing Everett Receives ISO
14001 Certification
12/18/2006 9:36:40 PM
Boeing Names Stan Deal and Rob
Laird to Commercial Airplanes Sales Leadership Roles
12/18/2006 9:35:46 PM
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