APEX in Profile: Don Buchman
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Don Buchman
Vice-President and General Manager, Commercial Mobility Business
ViaSat Inc.
Don is responsible for directing ViaSat Commercial Mobility Business, providing industry-leading Ka-band and Ku-band in-flight Internet to aviation markets worldwide. He has been at the forefront of communication system development for military and commercial applications since the 1990s, and now leads the next wave of innovation, taking the Exede In The Air in-flight broadband service to commercial airline customers.
FAST FACTS
Location: SAN
Frequent flight: SAN-ORD
The future of flight will be: Effortless
Favorite airport: MUN
Favorite airport restaurant: Phil’s BBQ (SAN)
Favorite hotel: Hôtel Les Dames du Pantheon, Paris (great bakery across the street!)
Favorite aircraft: B777
Brand of suitcase: Kirkland
Paper or electronic boarding pass? Electronic
Passport stamp you wish you had: Ireland
What are your ritual travel habits? I almost always seek out a local deli where I can get a Reuben sandwich. But in Paris, it is always a baguette sandwich.
What’s the one item you can’t travel without? Noise-canceling headphones.
What do you think is the most overlooked aspect of the passenger experience?
The convenience factor. The travel experience today is a series of anxious moments with a competitive overtone. For example: I need to leave for the airport early in case there is traffic; I need to get in the fastest line through security; I need to line up early at the gate to get my carry-on bag in the overhead bin; will they still have the chicken by the time the food cart gets to me? I need to get off the plane first to get to my next gate or catch the transport train; and the list goes on. Premium-passenger products have focused on this; however, the standard, economy-paying customer still must endure these moments. I believe great improvements can and will be made to make these series of anxious moments better – enabling the passenger to have a more relaxed, convenient experience.
What’s the most efficient way to pack a carry-on suitcase?
After years of practice, I use this method: suits and dress shirts go in the dry cleaner plastic, folded twice. And then I roll most other clothes and use empty spaces, like the inside of an extra pair of shoes, for socks and such.
“Our challenge is bringing the rapid pace of innovation we see today in the Internet and connected device worlds to the airlines in a timely fashion and with the quality the passenger expects.”
What does your typical workday look like?
I’m up early for a stretch, followed by a 20-mile bicycle ride into the office. Get showered, have my morning coffee, then participate in a series of meetings and phone calls with customers, partners and the team, followed by e-mails and more of the same until I get back on that bike for the 20-mile ride home.
Did you choose the airline industry or did it choose you?
We found each other. My undergraduate degree is in aeronautical engineering, and then I went on for communications engineering master’s degree. So it seemed natural that when I went to work for a satellite engineering company I would find a way to make the Internet work on airplanes!
What’s the best seat on the airplane?
This might not thrill my airline partners, but when traveling by myself, the best seat on the plane is the one next to an empty seat!
Fail-proof travel tip?
To overcome jet lag, get vigorous exercise in the morning and evening, and avoid caffeine after lunch.
What are the challenges with being a supplier to airlines? What are some of the highlights?
The way we communicate, contribute and consume information on the ground has gone through a revolution and continues to do so. Consumers want their own content, when they want it – even when flying – and we want to deliver it to them.
Our challenge is bringing the rapid pace of innovation we see today in the Internet and connected device worlds to the airlines in a timely fashion and with the quality the passenger expects. At ViaSat, we had a vision to make high-speed Internet available to all airline passengers, and today, we are doing just that: giving passengers more access, choice and streaming capabilities over the Internet while introducing airlines to new business models that can increase passenger loyalty and generate new revenue streams.
Your top three films of all time?
The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction and Caddyshack (if Caddyshack can be considered a “film”).