Back to Air Transport IT Review - Issue 1, April 2009

Inflight mobile services take-off

An interview with OnAir CEO Benoît Debains

To-date, OnAir has obtained regulatory authorization for its pioneering mobile phone and inflight communications services in 45 countries worldwide - including across all 25 European Union countries. More than 200 roaming agreements have been signed with service providers, with a further 100 under negotiation.

The breakthroughs have helped to give OnAir a strong start to 2009.

Air Transport IT Review spoke to OnAir's Chief Executive Officer Benoît Debains.

Q. Last year was clearly an important one for OnAir. What was the key highlight of 2008 for you?

A. We proved the technical acceptability of the service. We satisfied regulatory requirements for both the aircraft certification and the telecommunication licence. We have been helped by the fact that the EU issued a uniform approval for the use of mobile phones, meaning uninterrupted service across the EU. In addition, Airbus obtained major modification approval from EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency).

Q. How about passenger acceptability?

A. We launched services in 2007 with Air France, and then bmi and TAP Portugal, on flights within and across Europe and North Africa. Since then we have accumulated valuable in-service experience and data. We found that passengers were happy with the service and its ease of use - they discovered very quickly that there is no difference between using your phone on the ground or in the air. We also demonstrated that use of a mobile phone on an aircraft does not create the social issues that people feared. So the message is that mobile phones on board aircraft are only a problem for those who have not tried them.

Q. How would you sum up OnAir's position in the marketplace?

A. OnAir leads this market from every angle one can look at. To start with, we are the only company to use and deploy the latest Inmarsat SwiftBroadband technology. We are the only one able to secure the full spectrum of customers, on both Boeing and Airbus aircraft. We are the only company to offer voice and data (GPRS and Internet) for long-range and short-range - for commercial, low-cost or private VIP markets - across four continents, whether Dublin or Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait or Brazil.

Q. You mentioned different markets. Are they adopting the service in different ways?

A. In some regions, airlines want the service now as part of their overall passenger offering and we can already see competitive pressure on some markets, such as the Middle East. The introduction of the service in a region raises the standard of passenger comfort.

Then we have the full range of possible uses. The low-cost airline Ryanair provides voice, SMS and PDA services, mostly for leisure travellers, with the goal of increasing revenues. Later this year, BA will provide a business-class-only service on flights from London City to New York to attract and keep premium passengers. So we cover both extremes of the spectrum, as well as the many requirements in between. We're also in the VIP and government aircraft marketplace.

Q. Now that inflight mobile devices are a reality, how do you see the market evolving?

A. Opinion is moving from the feeling that "This is the last place where I can have quiet" to "This is the last place where I cannot be reached." As people fly on aircraft offering the service, they are coming to the conclusion that they do in fact want to stay connected. They see this is not such an issue and they start to realize all the things they can now do by having inflight connectivity.

Once airlines move into that space, then they can start to think about a lot of applications. They can see the mobile device is becoming an essential passenger tool, whether for making reservations, checking-in, boarding, or for getting direct flight information such as connecting gates or delays. There are frequent flyer and other travel-related services as well, enabling the same level of interaction with passengers in the cabin as on the ground. So it's only a short step to concluding that there is no reason to stop at the aircraft door. And it can involve crew as well. Many airlines already communicate with their crews through mobile phones or PDAs - now they can continue that process during the flight.

Q. Is the recession impacting airline interest?

A. So far there is no slow-down in the interest from airlines. The letters of intent we had are converted into firm contracts. We are signing new commitments and continue to receive RFPs (Requests For Proposals) or demands for presentations. After all, while there is an up-front cost for installation, this does provide a source of revenue for the airline. And airlines are keen to demonstrate their "first in region" status. The service does offer genuine competitive and branding advantages. It will become a 'must-have' standard and an indispensable tool for service to passengers, offering revenue generating and operational opportunities.

Q. What are the next big steps in 2009? And your key message to airlines?

A. In 2009 we will increase our footprint, operating with 14 airlines worldwide. We will continue building on this. It involves a lot of ongoing work, including approvals and regulatory coverage, for example. The momentum for adoption is gathering pace. I take comfort from the fact that a lot of customers want to be sure they will be the first to operate the service in their market. I take it as evidence that we have the right product.

My key message to airlines would be to recognize that passengers are increasingly using mobiles as part of their daily lives - so they see no reason why this should stop during flight time. Thanks to inflight mobile communication, we are going to see a major step change in air travel worldwide.

2009 progress

January - British Airways announces plans to launch OnAir's mobile phone service on its new twice daily, all business-class route from London City Airport to New York's JFK Airport.

January - Kuwait-based full-service luxury airline Wataniya Airways launches mobile services across its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

February - Ryanair launches an inflight mobile phone service on 20 aircraft. The airline's entire fleet of over 170 aircraft are now being equipped, with completion by end 2010.

February - Royal Jordanian introduces OnAir mobile phone service on Airbus A319 aircraft flying to Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and India.

Other airlines that either currently offer OnAir inflight communications services or will offer them in the near future include: Air Asia, AirAsia X, Airblue, bmi, Jazeera, Kingfisher, Oman Air, Shenzhen Airlines, TAM and TAP.

OnAir also serves private and government customers through partnerships with Airbus Corporate Jets, Aviation Centre Cologne and Jet Aviation.

Staying connected onboard

With Mobile OnAir passengers can stay connected inflight using their own mobile phones or PDAs to send and receive text messages and e-mails, make and receive phone calls and access the Internet. Passengers will also be able to access the Internet using their own laptops fitted with GSM data cards.

With Internet OnAir, passengers can access the web, e-mail and corporate networks using their own laptops or handheld devices.