The Highlight Reel: Products to Know at FTE APEX Virtual Expo
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The exhibition hall at FTE APEX Virtual Expo is full of exhibitors and delegates touting exciting products and services aimed at improving the air travel journey – here are just some of them. This article originally appeared in the Expo Daily Experience. Read the full issues and register for FTE APEX Virtual Expo.
Entertainment & Connectivity: Collins Aerospace
CabinConnect from Collins Aerospace allows travelers to surf the web and stream video thanks to broadband connectivity powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation satellite network. The product also boasts real-time credit card authentication to minimize the risk of fraud. Meanwhile, the company’s InteliSight suite of products enables pilots to access the real-time data they need before, during and after a flight. The electronic flight folder improves cost and time-savings efforts through improved fuel consumption and elimination of paper-based processes.
At the booth: Visit the Collins Aerospace Virtual Experience, the company’s
3-D booth, to view an interactive demonstration of the contactless passenger journey, access product brochures, watch demo
videos and chat with representatives.
Entertainment & Connectivity: PXCom
IFEC company PXCom recently launched PX2GO, a comprehensive travel platform that airlines can offer to customers via their existing app and wireless in-flight entertainment system. Travelers can view health and safety protocols, reference information on the airport, flight, destination and more, as well as enjoy the airline’s content library throughout their journey. Thanks to an open platform design, airlines can integrate third-party services like health passports, ancillary offers, programmatic advertising and retail. The platform is built with security in mind and puts travelers in control of their data.
Airport Experience: eezeetags
When eezeetags self-service bag tags were first released in 2012, automated baggage processing was becoming increasingly popular — with traveler numbers continuously climbing, airports were looking for ways to reduce queue times within the confines of existing infrastructure. This prompted Borry Vrieling to develop a foolproof bag tag that requires no staff guidance and produces no waste. Today, the product is arguably more relevant than ever as social distancing and self-service have become the norm. Travelers simply wrap the tag around their bag’s handle and press both ends together: the adhesive will not stick to surfaces other than its own.
At the booth: eezeetags’ newest features include color-coded tags for heavy or priority baggage and QR codes on the reverse side of the tag.
In-Flight Service: IN Air Travel Experience, The Aviation Nutritionist
Wellness, sustainability and operational efficiency will always be important to the aviation industry. With that in mind, IN Air Travel Experience and The Aviation Nutritionist have teamed up to develop the FIT.bowl. The one-dish meals are designed to boost immunity and combat the negative effects of air travel. They also provide a low-touch solution for crew, reduce single-use plastics by up to 55 percent and are suitable for complimentary dining, pre-order and buy-on-board. “Nutritious, quality meals at altitude are no longer the preserve of private aviation,” says Sarah Anderson, The Aviation Nutritionist CEO.
Entertainment & Connectivity: LiFi
Latécoère’s Light Fidelity (Lifi) technology is edging closer to takeoff. After partnering with Air France in 2019 to power a proof-of-concept, onboard online video game competition, the aeronautics company says it will be able to offer its functional, integrated system by the second quarter of 2021 with all qualified parts. With its resilient modular backbone, Latécoère’s LiFi can meet data transmission needs of business jets with just a few passengers all the way up to large commercial aircraft. Benefits include zero latency video transmission, easy installation and increased safety to passengers and crew thanks to the lack of electromagnetic fields typically generated by Wi-Fi signals.
Airport Experience: One.Tray and One.Clean
Already used by 32 airports around the globe, One.Tray is a turnkey service that provides recyclable, ultralight, customizable and RFID-enabled security trays to airports free of charge through advertising partnerships. One.Tray manufactures and supplies the required number of trays to optimize operational efficiency and even replaces or maintains the trays at no cost to the airport. In response to COVID-19, the company has also developed One.Clean; a UVC based tray sanitization system that works as a standalone unit but can also can be retrofitted into any security check tray return system.
In-Flight Service: Cockpit, Passenger and Crew Kit
Global Inflight Products is no newcomer to the business of onboard sanitation. The Seattle-based in-flight amenities provider’s Cockpit Kit is purposefully built with cleaning in mind. It includes two pairs of vinyl gloves, two face masks, a 16-oz bottle of disinfecting spray and four packs of alcohol wipes – all sealed in a cellophane bag. The company has created specific hygiene kits for crew and passengers as well, but can also be completely customized.
In-Flight Service: Sustainability Promise
In an industry first, amenities provider FORMIA is making a sustainability pledge. During Virtual Expo, it shared more about its strategy to make all in-flight socks and eye masks from 100 percent recycled PET fabric. This means that the virgin polyester normally used to make these accessories will be changed to recycled PET and will carry the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification. To drive the initiative forward, FORMIA is absorbing the additional cost of the material, rendering the move cost neutral for airlines and beneficial for supporting their sustainability efforts.
Aircraft Interiors: HeiQ Viroblock
Plane Talking Products is bringing HeiQ’s Viroblock to the cabin. The British company is offering a range of personal protective equipment, headrest covers, sprays and even fogging products that use HeiQ’s laboratory-engineered treatments meant to up the anti-viral protection on textiles. Bonus: By purchasing a suite of HeiQ Viroblock products and services at a certain volume, airlines obtain the right to use the Viroblock branding to market their sanitization efforts.
Airport Experience: SMARTRA
Japanese startup T&TIS aims to take the guesswork out of airport transit times with its SMARTRA service. The solution uses a system of checkpoints that can be placed around a facility to collect real-time data about things like waiting times at the security line or how long it takes to transfer from one terminal to the next. Passengers for instance can “scan” the checkpoint using their NFC-equipped device soon after exiting the plane and then again when arriving at the gate of their next flight, giving other SMARTRA users the ability to plan their transit and avoid congested areas of the airport. Check-ins can also be collected by camera, bar code scan or even beacon – depending on the environment. Like the navigation app WAZE, SMARTRA uses a system of redeemable points to incentivize the desired crowd-sourcing behavior. The company also sees a benefit to operators, providing them with a better understanding of how people move through the airport. For instance, retailers could use the information to allocate staff and create targeted promotions for travelers.
Entertainment & Connectivity: IFEData
Software company IFEData is on a mission to overcome disparate data and workflows by consolidating and automating them. Its web app, introduced to distributors, airlines and content service providers at Virtual Expo, is an à la carte service that allows customers to pick and choose the content that benefits them most and gives content owners and licensors the option to add their own titles. It is a neutral platform for offering titles, publicity and data – automating that data’s journey to wherever it needs to go.