Certified service quality programme launched for inflight connectivity
The Seamless Air Alliance, a developer of global standards for inflight connectivity (IFC), has launched the Seamless-Certified Service Quality programme for connectivity service providers, and that it has already secured Thales as the first member company to achieve Seamless-Certification.
The programme includes a network of performance and application-specific test measurements, a consistent method for calculating the measurements, and a composite score that relates the individual measurement scores to overall passenger satisfaction. The Alliance says that these industry-agreed measures enhance visibility into the passenger experience so that providers can ensure that everything is working satisfactorily, or take appropriate action when necessary.
The Alliance asserts that while service providers and airlines have typically relied on contracted service level agreements (SLA) to define network performance, poor passenger experiences can still occur, even when the SLA has been met.
The Seamless-Certified Service Quality programme has been created to enhance airlines’ ability to track the inflight connectivity experiences that are delivered to their passengers. The Alliance says that by selecting Seamless-Certified suppliers, airlines can trust that the performance metric claims and commitments made by the supplier conform to the standard. Additionally, the service quality measurements can be used to establish a baseline performance expectation, track performance over time, or make comparisons between multiple service providers.
“This is the industry’s most comprehensive programme for ensuring that inflight connectivity service providers are held to the highest standards of quality,” stated Jack Mandala, CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance. “Seamless-Certified service providers will provide airlines with a consistent and accurate view of the inflight connectivity experience that is being delivered to passengers.”
Commenting on becoming the first connectivity provider qualified into the Seamless-Certified Service Quality programme, Arnaud Tonnerre, VP chief engineer at Thales said, “We are honoured to be recognised as the first provider qualified into the Seamless-Certified Service Quality programme. Thales is delighted to offer airlines standardised ground-breaking capabilities to monitor and enhance passengers’ quality of experience.”
The Seamless Air Alliance has also announced the addition of Gilat Satellite Networks, Southwest Airlines, and Stellar Blu as the latest new members to join the alliance.