The Seamless Air Alliance, an entity that works on the development and implementation of global standards for inflight connectivity, has launched its Inflight Connectivity (IFC) Analysis Toolkit, intended to help airlines adopt vetted metrics for measuring and comparing IFC service quality in request for proposal (RFP) and performance management conversations.
The IFC Analysis Toolkit provides a clear set of features and measurements to recognise and manage IFC service quality. Included in the toolkit are a suite of documents and a Compliance Criteria Matrix, which can be used by airlines to simplify the process of assembling an RFP, comparing responses, and opening discussions with both current and prospective suppliers.
The standardised measurements provided in the toolkit were built from the ground up, based on knowledge and experience from airlines and industry experts. The Seamless Air Alliance believes that tracking these measures helps provide a true picture of the passenger experience that is otherwise lost in aggregate metrics.
Commenting on the launch, Jack Mandala, CEO of Seamless Air Alliance, said that: “Airlines with existing providers can use the toolkit to better understand the experience that passengers are having with their inflight connectivity system, by ensuring they are tracking the right metrics. In both scenarios the winner is the airline passenger.”
Gordon Shelhon, senior technology manager at American Airlines said of the launch, “The industry as a whole is making a huge leap forward by adopting the compliance criteria metrics defined in the Seamless Air Alliance IFC Analysis Toolkit. As a network engineer with decades of experience in wireless technology, I remember when connectivity at 500+ mph was first introduced. At the time, connectivity was a new concept and airlines deployed these systems with little insight into the customer experience. SLAs were limited to measurements for availability that only required a simple ping, which didn’t give the airline or supplier any insight into the customer experience. With the introduction of the Seamless Air Alliance IFC Analysis Toolkit, airlines adopting these standards will be better positioned to develop meaningful SLAs, with a focus on customer experience and metrics that truly reflect that experience.”
The IFC Analysis Toolkit is available free-of-charge to current Seamless Air Alliance Members and is available for purchase to non-members. Airlines that are not currently Seamless Air Alliance Members can join for free and gain access to the toolkit.
