The Solution to Mitigating In-Flight Turbulence
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Turbulence is not only scary for passengers, but it can also be dangerous. The aviation industry has been trying to mitigate turbulence issues—especially clear air turbulence (CAT)-for over thirty years. In nonfatal accidents, in-flight turbulence is the top cause of injuries to airline passengers and crews, per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). What’s more, turbulence can cost airlines millions of dollars in fuel, passenger safety, crew safety, maintenance, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Previously, there were not adequate tools that could accurately report and predict turbulence. Even meteorological forecasts are inaccurate almost 85% of the time, not to mention that weather radar can not detect clear air turbulence. Pilots report and receive information from air traffic control about turbulence, which is often subjective and sporadic, leading to pilots not using the most available tools in practice. Today, there is technology that can help solve the problem of turbulence. Meet SkyPath, whose technology helps mitigate turbulence issues.
SkyPath’s Technology
For years, the aviation industry has been looking for a tool that can detect CAT and provide the necessary information, such as where the turbulence begins and ends and the severity level. This is where SkyPath comes in, as it is a tactical tool that is the first source of reliable and accurate alerts about the location and severity of the turbulence. According to CEO Maya Shpak, SkyPath’s “integrated product ecosystem offers a holistic approach to aviation travel, seamlessly connecting operational teams, flight cabin, and sustainability initiatives to enable smoother, safer, and greener air travel.”
According to Shpak, “SkyPath started in 2019 with one of the major US airlines and had around 100 users per day,” meaning 100 planes were flying with SkyPath, reporting data and using the data to predict and mitigate turbulence. “Today, that number has grown to 30,000 users per day with SkyPath’s technology being utilized by major US carriers and other major airlines around the world,” Shpak said.
SkyPath’s technology is similar to Waze’s in that it utilizes crowdsourced technology. As such, SkyPath’s technology can only be used once the first aircraft encounters turbulence, and only then can it relay that information to all the other aircraft in the network. Through its application, which can be added to pilots’ electronic flight books (EFBs), pilots can log where they expect turbulence and alert other pilots flying through the same area. Similar to a car in a traffic jam, it will provide the data to all others. However, this does not predict clear air turbulence; it only notifies incidents that occur.
The second of SkyPath’s technologies is its unique machine learning model, which encompasses the information and data observed from the sensors. According to Shpak, “The granularity of the information that Skypath provides is 1,000 feet and 10 by 10 miles,” and the resolution is very high, which creates accurate data. The machine learning platform updates each hour and considers the different meteorological parameters- of which there are over 100, such as the temperature and overcasting of the jetstream. It then compares these parameters with the data collected from the sensors and can predict clear air turbulence. Thanks to SkyPath’s precise level of accuracy, pilots using SkyPath can either turn the seatbelt sign before they reach the turbulent areas or even avoid the area by requesting to be rerouted from ATC.
Enhanced Passenger Experience
The company’s approach is to work with the airline to bridge the data from the flight deck and the operational side to the passengers. The ecosystems of products enable a link between the flight deck and the cabin crew. For example, when the product in the flight deck gets a notification about upcoming turbulence, it can also notify the cabin crew through the cabin crew interface, enabling the crew to be more prepared for any upcoming event. SkyPath’s upcoming product will provide a digital path for passengers. This new product will have a direct link to the passenger app, so the airline can relay information to the passengers, such as if the flight will be bumpy or calm.
The annual average cost of turbulence in the United States alone is around $500 million. SkyPath anticipates that it can save an average airline an average of $10 million in fuel, incidents, and maintenance reductions on the efficiency and operational side. On the customer side, Shpak believes that “SkyPath can increase customer satisfaction or (NPS) Net Promoter Score by increasing their confidence in the airline operation.” Airlines can increase their revenue by providing real-time data to the cabin.