AIX: Aeromobile looks forward to customer surge

UK-based AeroMobile is currently fully operational with Emirates, which is carrying out a fleetwide fit. And Saudi Arabian Airlines has said it will fit the company’s system.

Presently it is being trialled by Malaysia Airlines, and Qantas and V Australia.

At the Aircraft Interiors show in Hamburg AeroMobile partner Panasonic has revealed that AeroMobile’s eXphone offering has been selected alongside the eXconnect satellite broadband service by the five launch airlines.

Tuggey optimistic about prospects in the Middle East

“In addition to those five we expect to see an Asian carrier roll out soon on its Boeing 777s and a European airline putting us into its fleet as part of an IFE deployment,” said Tuggey. “We also have a new Middle East customer in prospect. Contracts have been signed with two of these airlines, and we also have tenders out to a further four operators.”
  
The company is spotlighting a range of value-added services designed to exploit the connectivity capability that it provides. Yesterday it announced a facility that will allow cabin staff to check credit cards in-flight. “Onboard duty-free sales are very vulnerable to card fraud because the airlines can’t access payment networks to authorise the transactions,” said Tuggey. “We can offer a solution by allowing airlines to make secure transactions through our system. Cabin crew will be able to use the handheld credit-card machines commonly found in restaurants on the ground.”

AeroMobile plans to trial the system with existing customers and is presenting it to duty-free providers. “Not only will it protect airlines and duty-free providers from fraud losses, but it will also encourage them to offer more expensive goods because they will have a much higher probability of being paid,” said Tuggey.

Also in the new suite of services is a mobile-friendly Internet portal designed to deliver destination information to passenger handsets. A WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Web page provides weather forecasts, currency exchange rates and other information.