Today we released our latest report called “The Rise of Sanitised Travel”, where we have detailed over 70 different areas in the passenger journey that are expected to either change or to be introduced from scratch, to restore confidence in flying after COVID-19. We have launched an infographic highlighting some of the most important touch-points which you can download here.

According to SimpliFlying CEO and founder Shashank Nigam:

“9/11 changed travel completely with added security checks and longer check-in times. The impact of COVID-19 on air travel will be even more far-reaching.”

Special sections featured in the report include:

1. The touchless cabin
2. In-flight janitor
3. The end of the 30-minute turn
4. End of the printed in-flight magazine
5. All bags to be “Sanitagged”
6. The THA: Transport Health Authority

While you can expect existing touchpoints to remain in place, a number of areas will be changed and modified to accommodate the new reality. Here is a sneak-peak into our report, showcasing a few of the new areas you can be expected to see the next time you fly: 

Check-in terminals

The current touch screen check-in kiosks will be replaced by touchless check-in kiosks, where you either check-in by scanning a code, gestures or even through voice commands. Other measures will include protective barriers for staff and “sanitagging” bags. 

The touchless, sanitised cabin

After 9/11 many airlines introduced in-flight Sky Marshalls.  Post COVID-19 we could see the introduction of the in-flight janitor, who especially on longer flights, will keep the cabin clean, especially high-touch areas like toilet door handles.

To get the full report on “The Rise of Sanitised Travel” and the infographic, please visit our dedicated site here.

SimpliFlying has set up a Rapid Response Team to help airlines be ready for post-corona travel’s realities. The team has been holding Board-level briefings to orient executives with the new touchpoints. We will be happy to do a 30-minute call with your executive team to run through the detailed post-corona customer journey map. In order to help the industry, these calls are free for airlines and airports. Get in touch to set up a call.

The post The Rise of Sanitised Travel: 70 areas of the passenger journey set to change forever appeared first on SimpliFlying.

The post Have 10 minutes to share your thoughts on the future of sanitised travel? appeared first on SimpliFlying.

The world’s first aviation accelerator designed explicitly for post-COVID-19 travel launches today. The SimpliFlying Launchpad curates market-ready technologies and matches them with airports and airlines looking for urgent solutions on everything from sanitisation to contact tracing.

The SimpliFlying Launchpad has a range of major names on board as corporate partners. The likes of JetBlue, Japan Airlines, Miami International Airport as well as airports operator, Corporacion America Airports (CAAP) are ready to pilot new technologies to kickstart travel.

The launch of the SimpliFlying Launchpad comes after SimpliFlying’s April report. ‘The Rise of Sanitised Travel‘, identified over 70 different passenger touchpoints that will change as a result of the need to reassure both passengers as well as industry regulators, that air travel won’t be a spreader of the pandemic.

The Rise of Sanitised Travel was covered in over 200 media outlets worldwide, with many of the measures described subsequently helping airlines, airports and industry regulators such as EASA and IATA.

Four focus areas

Over the next two months, the SimpliFlying Launchpad is inviting applications in four different areas that have been shortlisted after consultation with the industry partners. They include sanitisation, touchless travel, contact tracing and ancillary revenues.

All applicants are invited to join SimpliFlying Marketplace, which is a private platform for airlines and airports to find the best solutions, without having to conduct rigorous research on their own.

In just a couple of weeks, the SimpliFlying team curates the most promising solutions and invites them to work with industry mentors. Finally, a virtual demo day showcases all finalists to pilot partners, aviation executives and even investors. Startups exit the programme and are ready to go live, with the SimpliFlying team having developed their launch trajectory in aviation.

World-class partners

SimpliFlying is constantly adding world-class partners and mentors to advise applicants before each demo day, including current and former aviation executives. They have successfully rolled out large scale technology implementations and will share their experiences with the shortlisted startups.

“At such critical times, we must work collaboratively to find solutions both for the short term and the longer term. SimpliFlying Launchpad will be a platform for concerted efforts.” – Akira Mitsumasu, VP Marketing, Japan Airlines

SimpliFlying’s CEO Shashank Nigam added, “To deal with the unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, the aviation industry urgently needs transformative innovations to help rebuild passenger trust in travel. As a result of this, not only will we be helping a new class of startups and entrepreneurs succeed.”

“We aim to curate ready-to-deploy solutions for aviation partners who are willing to pilot them.” – Shashank Nigam

“We’ll also ensure that the aviation industry can successfully and quickly meet the challenges of the COVID-19 era of travel and beyond, with tried and tested and ready to go solutions.”

The first Demo Day will be on June 18, with a focus on sanitation. Startups and corporate partners can submit applications now via the SimpliFlying website.

The post SimpliFlying launches aviation accelerator for post-COVID-19 travel appeared first on SimpliFlying.

Last Thursday, SimpliFlying Launchpad successfully completed its second demo day, in which 5 companies presented their solutions to over 30 corporate partners, consisting mostly of airlines and airports. We received 23 applications and boiled it down to 5 finalist, who’s touchless solutions will help kick start travel in the age of COVID-19.

Check out the stats in this infographic:

The solutions range from touchless self-service kiosk to electronic bag tags and even, digital health passports! If you haven’t already, you should check out our brief video summary of the demo day, so you can get a taste for what it is like to be a part of it.

In addition to the video summary, you can read more about the finalists and their solutions in this blog post: Touchless Travel: 5 Technologies Set To Make It Big Post-COVID-19

We would also like to thank our SimpliFlying Launchpad Touchless Technology sponsor, Elenium Automation, along with the companies that participated, and all of our world-class mentors and corporate partners!

The next demo day is will focus on Ancillary Revenue Generation and will take place Mid-August 2020. If you have a solution that could help kick start travel again, please apply here. You can also join SimpliFlying Launchpad as a corporate partner at no cost.

We are excited to continue our journey in helping travel get back on its feet! Come and join our journey through SimpliFlying Launchpad.

See you there!

The post SimpliFlying Launchpad: Touchless Travel Demo Day Summary appeared first on SimpliFlying.

A new standard for airline health safety measures that build trust in travel

The next time you book a flight, it will be important for you to know what measures the airline is taking to keep you healthy, not just safe. You’ll want to sort not just by price or schedule, but also by how passenger well-being is addressed. Health safety is the most important aspect of an airline’s brand post-COVID-19. Almost a year since we launched our Rise of Sanitised Travel report, we have decided to lead the industry from the front yet again.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and SimpliFlying today announced the first COVID-19 certified airlines for the customer-centric APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying. With 33 airlines currently advancing through the review process, APEX today announced with SimpliFlying the first twelve launch airlines serving six continents that have fully completed the audit process and have been certified.

The Gold Standard in airline health safety

We believe that health safety should not be a way for airlines to compete with one another. There needs to be a Gold standard that all airlines should meet or exceed to ensure passengers can trust travel. This is what the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying delivers quantitatively.

Our 58-point checklist covers ten airline categories for submission verification, validation, and quarterly review certification process. The audit spans categories that include testing, tracing, on-the-ground procedures, in-flight measures, and even co-branded partnerships that further airline product safety integrity. We believe that the airline certification will increase customer awareness of aligned industry health safety standards, encourage more informed air travel choices, and increase air travel by at least 2% on certified airlines in 2021.

As the largest non-profit airline association in the world dedicated entirely to passenger experience, APEX worked with SimpliFlying to develop standards to increase customer safety as more passengers return to the skies.

Announcing the certified airlines at launch

For the initial launch, APEX and SimpliFlying worked with a broad cross-section of airlines ranging from ultra-low-cost-carriers to national carriers. After completing the initial audit with proof points, a step-by-step verification process occurs with airlines, followed by standard level notification.

Thus far, approximately one-third of all airlines have further enhanced their customer health safety standards after the initial audit review.

The 2021 APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying airlines certified for the initial launch of the program include:

Diamond airlines – for taking hospital-grade health safety measures

Platinum airlines – for going above and beyond the Gold Standard

APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying provides a scientifically based validation designed to encourage airlines to reach beyond governmental requirements to a higher standard. We believe that aviation should set the highest possible standard for safety as customers are ready to travel. Equal customer health safety measures should be taken before departure and upon arrival, following governmental and global guidelines.

SimpliFlying and APEX have instituted a Board of airlines for further advancement of best customer health safety. A medical and scientific research working group from representing airlines will meet regularly to review the latest research focused upon advancements with recommendations centred around airline customers. APEX and SimpliFlying will then work with airlines to advance implementation for passengers in quarterly airline audit updates.

“Airlines and aviation professionals will look back years from now recognizing the lives that they saved by investing so heavily in enhanced passenger well-being,” Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying

While there are multiple airlines currently undergoing the certification process for the standard, we welcome any airline to take the audit at no cost to participate in the standard.

The post SimpliFlying creates a new standard for airline health safety with APEX appeared first on SimpliFlying.

The APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying program was established over a year ago in response to passenger concerns about a safe and sanitary aircraft cabin environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Since then, over 30 airlines globally have been certified through a rigorous, science-backed audit process. The program is regularly reviewed and updated based on the latest scientific research as well as practical insights from airline Chief Medical Officers. 

Pushing the envelope on health safety measures

While our overall airline audit has received a great response from the industry, there is more we can do to help airlines gradually reach pre-pandemic numbers. Hence, it is equally important to assess the health safety of other key passenger touchpoints in more depth. Our new airline lounge audit seeks to address this requirement to build further trust with customers, especially premium travellers.

SAUDIA’s new AlFursan International Lounge Jeddah is the first to meet and exceed the certification requirements. SAUDIA’s new lounge has set remarkable benchmarks with the highest hygiene standards through such measures as a holistic touchless experience (from the entrance to digital menus) and UV-disinfection robots, capable of temperature scanning.

Certification requires evidence-based responses to 60 questions across eight categories including areas such as Food Safety, Lounge Experience, Ancillaries, Testing & Tracing, and Contactless Amenities. 

Apart from covering critical touchpoints and best practices in health safety, the lounge audit also aims to push the envelope by encouraging airlines to adopt cutting-edge technologies and go above and beyond regular practices.

“In the future, airlines will need to keep in mind the three Ss”, says SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam.  

“As before, there is safety. Meanwhile, sustainability is becoming ever more important.  And now thanks to the pandemic, the third ‘s’, sanitation, is a constant passenger concern, and one that is not going away anytime soon.

“Having successfully audited airlines worldwide, we’ve now rolled out the APEX Health Safety Standard powered by SimpliFlying for their lounges. A lounge is a key piece of airline real estate as well as a place where passengers from different destinations mix, especially in transit.  

“As a result, it’s important for airlines to show they provide health and safety peace of mind throughout the whole passenger journey.”

Starting today, the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying Lounge Audit is available for all certified airlines and for the airlines and airports that are not currently part of the program. Please contact healthsafety@simpliflying.com for more information or visit our dedicated website to start a self-audit.

The post Unveiling the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying Lounge Certification appeared first on SimpliFlying.

With a flight time of four and a half hours from Seattle to Tokyo, Boom Supersonic intends supersonic travel to be accessible to anyone who currently travels business class, when the first passenger flights on its Overture aircraft take off in 2029.

This is according to Boom CEO Blake Scholl, speaking at the Farnborough Air Show, who said, “With more than 600 routes across the globe, Overture will make the world dramatically more accessible for tens of millions of passengers.”  With 65-80 seats, Scholl noted that capacity on the first iteration of Overture is the same as premium cabins on many wide body aircraft today.

By the time the third version of Overture sees the light of day, Scholl stated that he even hopes prices are low enough to relegate subsonic aircraft to cargo.

Scholl made the comment in response to a question about why Concorde failed, calling it the “epitome of unsustainable aircraft”, where the high price meant it was flying half empty even on major routes (such as LHR – JFK).

SAF partner uses unproven technology

Sustainability was a key theme of the Boom press conference, with Scholl reiterating the airline’s commitment to flying aircraft with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). As well as price, Scholl said that he wanted to remove sustainability as a reason for people not to fly Boom.

Boom’s SAF partner is Prometheus Fuels, which aims to create SAF from Carbon Dioxide. A piece in MIT Technology Review in April said that though the technology was revolutionary, experts remain sceptical that Prometheus really will be able to produce SAF at the company’s target price.

This comes as Prometheus has missed its own 2020 target for delivering its fuel at $3 a gallon, and instead has still to create an integrated device that generates fuel to power conventional vehicles. As a result, it remains to be seen if Prometheus will remain Boom’s SAF partner if the aircraft manufacturer wants to remain true to its goal of flying carbon neutral.

Meanwhile, a partnership with Eaton, will see Eaton design the actual fuel systems that will allow Boom aircraft to fly on 100% SAF.

The rest of the announcement concerned a redesign of the company’s Overture aircraft, which Scholl called, “the world’s next iconic airliner design.” As well as flying carbon neutral, Scholl emphasised the noise reduction that the new design provides – an important point as you can imagine noise campaigners in urban areas near airports campaigning against Boom’s arrival.

Scholl also unveiled a partnership with Northrop Grunman, which will see Boom’s aircraft utilised for military and Governmental missions, such as rapid troop deployment.

Though the Northrop Grunman partnership does not involve any funding, Scholl stated that Boom currently has enough funds to see it through its development and production cycles.

The post Boom aims to open supersonic travel to millions appeared first on SimpliFlying.

ATR’s entire customer base will soon be able to fly its fleet of regional turboprops with 100% SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) at no extra cost – except of course for the fuel itself.

This was a commitment made by ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli when speaking at the Farnborough International Air Show this afternoon in a presentation full of sustainability messaging.

ATR recently completed the first ever commercial flight ever where both engines of an aircraft had 100% SAF. Bortoli emphasised that the aircraft used had been flying with normal jet fuel the day before and that the pilots on board deemed the flight to be ‘uneventful’ – exactly as it should be.

Right now ATR’s turboprops are certified to carry 50% SAF, and the goal is for “the same aircraft, with no changes, to be able to fly 100% by 2025.”

Overall the ATR presentation was impressive in the way that it tied together sustainability targets alongside messaging emphasising the importance aviation (in this case regional aviation) has in society as a whole.

As we said in the current issue of AMM Magazine (free download here), the industry needs to run ‘aviation is a force for good’ and ‘here is what we are doing to reach net zero’ messaging in tandem, given that climate change activists are increasingly using the narrative that air travel involves a global elite burning greenhouse gases at the expense of the majority.

And so ATR presented figures emphasising the positive impact regional aviation has on local societies and economies.

ATR says that a 10% increase in regional flights into an area leads to a 5% increase in tourism, a 6% increase in local GDP and an 8% increase in foreign direct investment. 

ATR has been using similar messaging for a while. In early 2020, we highlighted ATR’s “into life” campaign and micro-site / blog.

One of the stories on the site featured Siargao, a remote island in the Philippines, where the economy and living standards were improved thanks to a regular service with ATR aircraft (from Cebu Pacific).

In fact, Stefano Bortoli emphasised the fact that 34% of airports worldwide rely exclusively on turboprops.

Meanwhile, Fabrice Vautier (SVP Commercial) showed a slide claiming that a switch from regional jets to turboprops would save the equivalent of a forest the size of the Balearic Islands – even without SAF.

Next in the sustainability pipeline is the ATR EVO (see top image). ATR plans for this aircraft to have advanced design features and a new powerplant with hybrid capability.

ATR says it will incorporate a new eco-design that includes new propellers and enhanced cabin and systems, it will remain a two-engine turboprop that can be powered by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Accordiong to Stefano Bortoli, “This will be another step towards flying more responsibly, it will be paving the way for a decarbonised future for regional aviation.”

A decision on whether put this next generation aircraft into production will be made next year, after feasibility studies have been completed.

The ATR press conference finished with an announcement that leasing company Abelo had agreed to buy 10 x ATR72-600 and 10 ATR 42-600 aircraft.

The post ATR shows how aviation can both be sustainable and good for communities appeared first on SimpliFlying.

Could air taxi fares one day be equivalent to an Uber X ride? That’s the stated end goal of Wisk CEO Gary Gysin, speaking at the Farnborough Air Show this afternoon.

With backing from both Boeing and the Kitty Hawk Corporation, Wisk is one of a number of urban mobility startups present at Farnborough, others include Lilium and Embraer’s Eve initiative

Gysin hopes to achieve that affordability and accessibility goal by betting on autonomous flight, Wisk’s aircraft do not have an on-board pilot, something Gysin does not see as being economically viable.

Instead, human intervention will be possible via ground stations that will resemble ATC Centres. Here, operators will be able to activate a number of pre defined emergency scenarios (such as a sick passenger on board).

Despite 90% of flight currently already being automated, gaining wider acceptability for autonomous aircraft is of course a challenge.  The technology is not the same, but the popular imagination will inevitably conjure up images of the mishaps with Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ feature.

As a result, a key task according to Gysin, is to work with communities in convincing them that autonomous or pilotless air taxis are completely safe.  This is also why Gysin said he doesn’t want to put artificial deadlines on the company’s engineers, so that there is no compromise on safety.

Right now Wisk has carried out 1600 test flights and is on it’s fifth generation aircraft. The sixth generation will have four seats, in line with other competitors on the market.

Gysin wouldn’t commit to a definite go live passenger date, saying that this was largely up to the regulator, but the aim is for Wisk to fly with passengers in the current decade.

Wisk is currently in discussion with 20 cities worldwide, but the only one Wisk was prepared to name was Long Beach, California

Long Beach, along with the wider LA metropolitan area, is in fact setting itself up as an urban air mobility centre, with other eVTOL firms such as Odys Aviation also basing themselves there.

Of course an air taxi system will require shared infrastructure and air space, or corridors, and Wisk is working with other air taxi companies and the relevant authorities on this.

That’s because eVTOLs will follow pre defined routes and land at specific landing points. Contrary to what was shown in the cartoon show ‘The Jetsons’, Gysin said that these aircraft will not in fact be landing in your back yard.

Unlike Urban Mobility, Lilium and Archer Aviation, Wisk has no publicised airline tie-ups, though Gysin said that airport transfers are a clear use case for the company’s aircraft.

Initially Wisk sees themselves as operating the actual aircraft on behalf of partners, though this could change in the medium term.

Two billion dollars required to bring these aircraft to market

Finally, Boeing’s $450 million investment in Wisk is obviously key, and it makes Wisk a good bet for it to be one of the urban mobility companies to still be around after the inevitable sector consolidation happens.

Gysin mentioned that to bring an aircraft like Wisk to the point where it carries passengers represents a $2 billion cost, which is of course one reason why many of the urban mobility companies currently testing their models will not last the course.

The post Wisk aims to make air taxis as affordable as an Uber X appeared first on SimpliFlying.

While the airline industry is aiming for Net Zero by 2050, ZeroAvia CEO and Founder Val Miftakhov says the goal should be so-called ‘True Zero’, where air travel has next to no environmental impact at all.  

Speaking at the Farnborough Air Show, Miftakhov pointed out that current aircraft fleets have a lifespan of 30 or so years, and so “we have to start yesterday” to deal with sustainability issues.

Miftakhov said that this is an existential question for the aviation industry. “Aviation is a great thing for humanity. The more connected we are, the safer we are as humanity…however, if we don’t solve the climate issue, aviation will be severely restricted.”

At the Air Show, Miftakhov outlined the thinking behind the decision of the British-American aircraft developer to go for hydrogen electric technology.

H2 electric involves renewable hydrogen being stored in tanks.  This is converted to electricity in flight using a fuel cell, which then powers the electric motors. According to Miftakhov, this solution results in a 95% reduction of climate effects.

This compares with combustion based solutions, such as H2 combustion, which Val Miftakhov says will only result in a 50% reduction, due to contrails and the production of additional NOx.

In fact the day before, Airbus held a press briefing at Farnborough to talk about its Blue Condor project, which is aiming to look at this issue.  A small hydrogen engine is being put on a glider, and tests are being carried out in the Winter in North Dakota.

A question came up at the Airbus press conference of whether the issue of NOx could even derail the whole hydrogen engine project, and it’s worth noting that Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is introducing a flight cap from November 2023 partially because of nitrogen oxides – as well as aircraft noise.

Meanwhile looking at pure electric solutions, there is a problem around both battery storage and the airport infrastructure required.

Battery electric aircraft will need the power supply of a small town

Speaking in a separate Farnborough session, Warwick University Professor Dr Andrew McGordon outlined the problems airports will face in serving a fleet of electric aircraft.

According to Professor McGordon, the largest Tesla charging station in the world (in Shanghai) which can charge 72 cars simultaneously, does not generate enough electricity to charge one 9-20 seat electric aircraft.

If you want to charge ten of these aircraft at once, you would need power equal to that used by a small town.  It is worth noting that Heart Aerospace, which like ZeroAvia, hopes to have a 19 seat aircraft flying by 2024 and has also signed contracts with United, is going down the all-electric route.  

Miftakhov outlined that ZeroAvia had made progress in thinking about the infrastructure needed for its H2 electric aircraft, including keeping seat costs down as “you cannot drive adoption just for the nice option.”

ZeroAvia and Edmonton International Airport will explore opportunities to develop the hydrogen infrastructure required for delivering zero-emission flights and decarbonizing ground operations.

At Farnborough, ZeroAvia also signed an agreement with Edmonton Airport (EIA) in Canada. EIA will work with ZeroAvia to develop hydrogen infrastructure at both the main airport and Villeneuve Airport. The partnership targets exploring the use of hydrogen for decarbonization of aircraft operations, and also the wider airport ecosystem.

In the Sustainability in the Air podcast, SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam discussed the wider point about costs with Universal Hydrogen co-founder John-Paul Clarke, who predicted that by 2025, green hydrogen will come at par with Jet fuel on a per seat mile basis.

That’s one year after ZeroAvia’s 19 seat aircraft should start flying commercially, and five years before ZeroAvia wants to have a 100-200 seat aircraft powered by its engines in the skies.

ZeroAvia’s progress and technology has attracted the attention of a number of airlines and both industry and Governmental backers.  

At Farnborough,  ZeroAvia signed an agreement with Ravn Alaska to deliver hydrogen-electric propulsion for the operator’s passenger aircraft. Ravn has placed an order for 30 of ZeroAvia’s ZA2000 powertrains with the intention of retrofitting its De Havilland Dash-8 fleet to enable zero-emission flights.

ZeroAvia also has agreements in place with United and Alaska Airlines.  Meanwhile, aircraft manufacturers Mitsubishi and De Havilland are on board to see how ZeroAvia’s technology can be retrofitted into their aircraft.  Mitsubishi now owns the Canadair regional jets, and the idea is that the CRJ series will be adapted for zero emission regional aviation.

ZeroAvia hasn’t had a completely problem-free trajectory.  A 2021 demonstration aircraft crashed (fortunately with no injuries), with the investigation highlighting a number of issues, including commercial pressure to accelerate its timetable – something the company pledged to address. As we noted in our post about Boeing-backed urban mobility startup Wisk, Wisk’s CEO deliberately has not put a launch date on the company’s autonomous electric air taxis so as not to pressure the 500 engineeers working on the programme. 

However, the bigger picture is that ZeroAvia clearly has made significant progress, and attracted heavyweight backing.  This includes another $30 million investment from a range of organisations including airline group IAG, and Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project, which aims to be “the world’s largest hydrogen-focused future city.”

As a result in a space which will see inevitable consolidation, ZeroAvia is a good bet to be a big player in sustainable aviation in the medium, as well as short term.  

The post ZeroAvia aims for ‘true zero’ instead of net zero appeared first on SimpliFlying.