Communications technology in modern aircraft often seems more of a gimmick to market the airline than something of practical use to business travelers. How many of you have noticed an awe-inspiring handset in the arm-rest of your seat, taken it out and then replaced it – and actually had rather a lot of trouble getting it back into the slot from which it emerged? Hands-up. Rest assured, you are not alone.
One frequent business class passenger recalls the introduction of the Boeing 777 into the Emirates fleet three years ago. The same aircraft still operates on the Dubai-Singapore-Melbourne run today. Comfort was certainly not a problem on these aircraft; indeed the Boeing 777 brought sumptuous new standards to business class air travel. The same could not be said of its in-flight communications technology, however.
The new aircraft’s state-of-the-art telephone handset for each business and first class passenger also controlled the in-flight entertainment system. And for those passengers that were able to get the telephone to actually work, the connection was usually so faint as to be inaudible against the raucous background of jet engine noise. More annoyingly, the unit also frequently broke down entirely. The manufacturer had perhaps been too ambitious in its technological innovation, and ended up on the receiving end of litigation from Emirates.
Likewise the much trumpeted on-board fax machine. A leaflet in the seat pocket boldly introduced the new service to Emirates’ passengers. This service required a lot less effort from the traveler. All you had to do was hand your credit card and fax to one of the cabin staff, who gave you a copy when it had gone through and returned your card to you. However, our unfortunate passenger had forgotten the golden rule of travelers and credit cards – don’t let it out of your sight for a second – and his next statement was debited several times over, presumably by accident as the young stewardess grappled with the baffling technology of the fax machine. At least the fax got through to its destination. Unfortunately it cost the passenger $100.
Get me a drink
There is no bigger menace to the IR professional on the move than unreliable technology. What if you are cruising above the mid-Atlantic at 38,000 feet and need to phone the office to get some additional, crucial material for a looming presentation? Should you rely on an aircraft’s telecommunications system functioning properly when you need it most? Or should you just sit back, order a drink or two and forget about the whole thing until you’ve landed?
Frankly, at the moment you’re probably still much better off taking the latter option. It might be juvenile fun to send a gloating fax to a friend from an aircraft to prove that it can be done. A call home to inform a partner of your estimated time of arrival is perfectly fine. But be warned that gimmicks can be dangerous to serious business and really compromise professional standards.
Instead, be self-sufficient. Make sure that your laptop has enough battery capacity to last your flight, and that you have loaded up with all the data you’ll need. Request a window seat so you won’t be jostled by a never-ending procession of passing service trolleys. Tell the check-in desk that you need a quiet seat to get on with preparing an important presentation. They love to be helpful, particularly to important executives and, in the highly competitive world of modern airlines, their staff are only too pleased to prove their worth. After all, in either business class or first class you are already paying a large premium for relatively little. So take advantage of it. A quiet seat on your own might be of more use than a glass of unwanted champagne, and it will definitely be a greater aid to concentration.
Another reason to take communications into your own hands is that facilities vary greatly on the airlines of the world. You cannot even rely on having unreliable technology to hand. Many North American airlines are very keen on gadgets, and will generally offer whatever is state-of-the-art. But some European airlines are surprisingly weak in this area, and so are certain carriers in Australia and New Zealand. Asian airlines, on the other hand, are typically quite strong.
‘I think most people accept that they are out of the loop when they are flying,’ says Anna Miller, head of investor relations at South African Breweries. ‘A lot of us travel overnight in any case these days, and the best thing that the airlines can offer then is a full night’s sleep. That is the great advantage of first over business class. The seating. The only communications technology I’ve found useful is a charger for my mobile phone in the departure lounge.’
‘Actual phone usage must be very low,’ comments another investor relations officer. ‘I don’t think I have ever seen anybody actually using a phone. Also, flying is the only time I get to think, and making phone calls and sending faxes is just not a priority.’ Not surprisingly, the airlines are far less skeptical about their own services, and promise that great advances are just around the corner.
Singapore Airlines, for example, claims that its new megatop Boeing 747 aircraft has sorted out initial ‘teething problems’ with the complex telephone handsets, which are now fitted in all classes. These aircraft also allow you to plug your laptop straight into the aircraft’s power supply in first class and business class, a fairly useful facility, though you are warned to bring the ‘right adaptor’ to be able to benefit from this battery-saving innovation.
The mention of in-flight e-mail brings a flutter of excitement at Singapore Airlines, yet this marriage of cyberspace and innerspace is still on the drawing board. However, it can not be long now before picking up and dispatching e-mails from a laptop computer in-flight becomes a routine event for the globe-trotting business executive.
Online airline
‘E-mail is certainly one area we are investigating,’ says Fergus Boyd, technology manager in product development at British Airways. ‘But this is a harder area of technology, and what we are going to do first of all is to allow our customers to make much better use of their mobile phones. We are particularly monitoring advances in data services linked to mobile phones, to see how these can be used in our lounges.’
When British Airways introduces its revolutionary business class seats early next year – which actually transform into a full bed – they will also feature plug-ins for laptops. At present British Airways’ inflight telephony is limited to Satcom systems on a dozen long-haul aircraft and Jetphones on short haul routes. Jetphone is a GSM-based system and consequently it is significantly cheaper to use than the satellite technology of Satcom. ‘The main issue with Satcom is cost,’ says Boyd. ‘The voice connection is pretty good.’
But British Airways does seem to be genuinely in touch with its passengers. The airline reports that its surveys have found ‘not much need for a fax service.’ Instead, passengers were more concerned about services provided on the ground, prior to departure. This has led to the creation of the Combiz lounge for executive travelers, first in the UK and to follow in BA lounges around the world. Combiz lounges are mini business centers with free fax facilities, PCs, internet access and e-mail. ‘We are still getting new research into exactly what people require,’ adds Boyd. ‘We are very focused on the customer.’
Office-in-the-sky
Arch rival Virgin Atlantic has already stolen the march on British Airways with the introduction of in-flight e-mail. ‘We are among the first airlines to offer e-mail,’ boasts Chris Brady, general manager product development at Virgin.
‘The US jack to attach the laptop has been inside the cradle in the seat for five years, but it is only recently that the software protocol has been available to make e-mail work,’ explains Brady. ‘Another new BT Skyphone service we have just introduced allows you to divert your mobile calls to your seat inflight. You get a special credit card from BT to swipe in our handset and then the calls are automatically diverted, so you do not have to be out of touch at all.
‘We also offer faxes in the galley, and will have laptop power connection in half our fleet by next May and all the planes by the end of the year. It’s a special sort of connection to stop people plugging in hairdryers and the cable adaptors will be available from the crew. It will be a true office-in-the-sky if you want it. But of course we realize that a lot of passengers want to get away from the office, and we are not about to forget about them either.’
Don’t other passengers hate these phone-mad workaholics, rattling on about analysts and meetings and bottom lines? What about skyphone rage? ‘I think we have had about one complaint,’ says Brady, who also denies that the inflight telephony is hardly used. ‘Our telephone usage figures are among the highest in the industry. But with charges at $9 per minute, you don’t use our phones for idle chat. Satellites are expensive and we have a very slim profit margin.’
Are phones a competitive issue between the airlines? ‘They are at the moment,’ says Brady. ‘It’s part of your unique selling point. However, over the next three to five years it will all become pretty standard, and probably not so important.’
And in case you wondered, Virgin’s business class will also feature a flat bed when its Upper Class is relaunched next May. The laptop power points come with the flat beds.
Jet set
For investor relations managers who think hiring an executive jet could be the answer to their communications technology dreams, prepare for a disappointment. ‘In Europe very few aircraft operators have this equipment, which is always an optional extra from the manufacturers,’ cautions George Galanopoulos, managing director of London Executive Aviation. ‘The problem is that Satcom systems are very heavy, and also cost around $300,000 per $3-5 mn aircraft. In the US there are a number of alternatives, but none of them works particularly well. They tend to experience cut-offs between different regions, so the user has to keep on redialing.’
‘We have looked at the Iridium satellite system,’ continues Galanopoulos. ‘It weighs 20-30 lbs, and costs $35,000 per plane. That is reasonable. But now, of course, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of the Iridium technology itself. However, the Iridium system would seem to be the way forward in the future.’
It seems communications technology for the airborne IRO is still struggling to become something more than a gimmick, and aircraft operators are wary about promising more than they can deliver. Do you remember the days when mobile phones looked like bricks and kept cutting out? Sadly most of the communications technology in aircraft appears to belong to the same era. But in the same way that modern mobiles emerged from such base origins, in a few years time communications technology will really be flying.
