Arkefly to Extend IFE Experience Airside
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This July, travel company TUI (Travel Unie International) Nederland will roll out a ground-based in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience and companion streaming solution with their official holiday carrier Arkefly.
Arkefly has partnered with another Dutch company called MI Airline to make this project and industry first happen. MI Airline’s AirFi Box, which has also been implemented across Estonian Air’s entire fleet, will power both Arkefly’s ground-based and in-flight passenger streaming initiatives.
The AirFi Box is a compact and portable Wi-Fi network which runs entirely on battery power. Roughly the size of a shoebox and weighing in at a little over 2.5 pounds, a single AirFi box can support high-quality streaming to as many as 50 users at once.
Arkefly will be using AirFi boxes at their departure gates at about a dozen international airports, including their two main logistical hubs Amsterdam Schiphol and Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands. The boxes will create a Wi-Fi network for Arkefly guests to access with their smartphones, tablets, or other personal electronic devices. Through an Arke-branded portal, the AirFi boxes will stream a selection of HTML5 games, chat, newspapers, magazines, videos and other non-DRM (digital rights management) content. Guests waiting for a flight will also have access to the internet and social media networks via 3G-based internet connection.
According to Arkefly managing director Hans van de Velde, this initiative is all about finding ways to enrich the holiday experience for guests.
“We constantly strive to surpass our customers’ expectations, as to us, it’s about: ‘more than a smile,'” he said in a press release about the project, referring to the carrier’s slogan. “We understand that things like offering AirFi make a big difference to the customer experience. It’s fun, helpful, easy, and it brings our customers in the holiday mood. After all, a holiday shouldn’t have to start once you’ve reached your holiday destination.”
Once boarded, passengers will be able to continue exploring the Arkefly IFE system and chatting with other passengers – albeit without a pipe to the ground. Nevertheless, they will be able to learn about and even pre-book activities at their destination through TUI.
“It’s fun, helpful, easy, and it brings our customers in the holiday mood. After all, a holiday shouldn’t have to start once you’ve reached your holiday destination.” – Hans van de Velde, Arkefly
“They can order an excursion or activity on the spot,” explains Job Heimerikx, CEO of MI Airline. “The passenger will receive an order voucher and the necessary information is sent to the TUI/Arkefly back office as soon as the aircraft has landed. Arkefly is also considering the integration of holiday-related offerings from outside partners into their AirFi platform.”
Arkefly operates nine Boeing aircraft that will carry the AirFi boxes: five 737s, one 767 and three 787s. Two AirFi boxes are capable of covering the entire cabin of the B737 (180 passengers), while three to four will be used to ensure robust service across the twin-aisle jets (280+ passengers).
The AirFi solution, thanks to its portability, does not require modification to the aircraft or a STC (supplemental type certificate). “We provide the box with all the required paperwork so that the airline only needs to [advise] the authorities, change some of their security manuals and do a risk analysis,” says Heimerikx. “That complete process takes one person two days.”