AIX 2016: Thales Takes to the Digital Clouds With InFlytCloud
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APEX Insight: On day one of the Aircraft Interiors Expo, Thales gave the media a glimpse into what goes on behind-the-screens – with InFlytCloud. The business operations service software processes big data to provide passengers customized in-flight entertainment and to optimize revenue. Also on display were the 21.3-inch Vanilla Sky and 26.5-inch Premium Sky touch screens, some of the largest digital seatback surfaces in the industry.
“We’re investing a significant amount of money in innovation,” said Thales’ CEO Dominique Giannoni during a press event at the Aircraft Interiors Expo today.
Business operations service software InFlytCloud represents just one of the ways in which Thales is looking to transform the passenger experience. In processing big data, it enables an airline to both provide its passengers with a personalized in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience and optimize revenue. “We launched an initiative at MIT with key airlines to see how we can add value by crunching large amounts of data,” said Giannoni. “Today, we’re letting you see inside the cloud.”
“We launched an initiative at MIT with key airlines to see how we can add value by crunching large amounts of data.” – Dominique Giannoni, CEO, Thales
What does the cloud look like? The tool consists of just under a dozen modules, from marketing (where you’d find the revenue-generating information) to maintenance €” it even offers real-time data, like Google Analytics. The platform also enables Thales to know what kind of data airlines are interested in – for example, are they spending more time looking at revenue by flight duration or peak revenue times during each flight?
Giannoni gave a general explanation of how passengers would receive personalized movie recommendations, saying that they would “either have to enter a code manually or perhaps even use QR codes.” He wasn’t specific on the rate of adoption by airlines, but he did say that he expects personalization via InFlytCloud to be “well in place” by mid 2017: “It’s the world we live in; passengers are already accustomed to receiving targeted information in their everyday lives.”
One thing’s for sure: Data security is a top priority for Thales. Personal data, such as credit card info, is not stored on the cloud – it’s encrypted and goes directly from the plane to the third party.
Another example of Thales’ commitment to innovation is its Digital Sky concept. Both the 21.3-inch Vanilla Sky and 26.5-inch Premium Sky touch screens were on display in a closed-off room, where no cameras where allowed. Premium Sky, which represents the largest-ever digital seatback surface, somewhat resembles a smartphone home screen with “apps” ranging from video meditation to ancillary revenue generating destination information, such as ticket-buying options. Passengers can even play Pong against their seatmates. Fancy features include a seamless integrated touchpad in the armrest and wireless headset.
Thales will find out if Digital Sky will win first place in the Electronic Systems category at tonight’s Crystal Cabin Award ceremony.
The company also announced today that it has been selected by Airbus as the lead supplier for high bandwidth connectivity (HBC) systems on its A320, A330 and A380 aircraft platforms and that Thales AVANT IFE was selected by Hainan Airlines for installation on its A330 fleet.