Mesa uses AIRS to Update Flight-Critical Communications

Regional air carrier Mesa Airlines has joined the growing number of aviation companies deploying the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS) for flight-critical messaging.

With AIRS, Mesa now enjoys a robust, secure and efficient aviation messaging system that:

• Offers resiliency with assured message delivery so that flight-critical messages are filed despite unexpected external communications problems.
• Maintains vital communications, handles message formatting and conversion, and reduces database issues with message recipients.
• Eliminates pesky network issues that arise when legacy and more modern systems must communicate.
• Provides comprehensive flight-critical communications through direct connections.
• With AIRS, Mesa can now file flight plans, Advance Passenger Information Service (APIS) manifests and participate in Collaborative Decision Making (CDMs) directly.

For more information on how Mesa uses AIRS, see the case study entitled: “Mesa Resolves Multiple Comms Issues with AvFinity’s AIRS™ Solution”.

AIRS Helps Airlines Cope with NADIN II Changes

AvFinity offers a unique, proven solution to scheduled air carriers responding to last year’s FAA communications decision to decommission its internal NADIN X.25 Packet Switched Network (PSN) during 2011 and transition U.S. users to a private Internet Protocol (IP) network.

The AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS) provides connectivity software that permits scheduled air carriers to make the transition in hours with minimal impact to budget and operations.

For airlines without their own connection to the FAA, AvFinity also provides FlightPlan Direct™ as a reliable and efficient way to submit ICAO flight plans. FlightPlan Direct™ heightens filing efficiency through AvFinity’s direct connection to FAA’s NADIN II, which interfaces with the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN). This connection permits FlightPlan Direct™ users to file directly with ATC agencies like the FAA, NAV CANADA as well as all other government flight authorities. AIRS, AvFinity's platinum product offering, offers reliable, secure, and cost-effective machine-to-machine connectivity and is well-suited for high volume filings. Integration into the backend flight plan dispatch system is easy with the patent-pending scripting technology built into AIRS.

AvFinity’s web interface serves as a backup solution in a DR situation, as one recent customer discovered after a hardware failure temporarily prevented machine-to-machine filings. Backed up banks of aircraft were avoided because this tool was available.

Direct Connect Benefits

AvFinity is privileged to win recognition as the first aviation communication provider in the world authorized to connect to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for both commercial and private Advance Passenger Information Services (APIS) using a direct connection via IBM WebSphere MQ.

If you’re in aviation IT, you understand the value of connecting WebSphere MQ. This middleware ensures non-repudiation of the transmitted data meaning your message always arrives. That’s important to aviation since an international flight cannot leave the ground unless the APIS manifest has been received and acknowledged by CBP. In other words, assured delivery means less valuable time on the ground or fewer fines simply because the manifest got lost in e-mail.

AvFinity makes it easy to utilize WebSphere MQ for your messaging including APIS. We offer it as both a server and a client at your option through the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS). Once you use AIRS’ APIS Navigator to file manifests via the WebSphere MQ direct connection you also benefit from:

• Encryption of the sensitive manifest data
• End-to-end security between your airline or corporate flight department and CBP
• Use of a network with a better than 99.999% uptime
• Access to TSA’s Secure Flight program through the same APIS datastream

AvFinity’s experts have developed the most efficient system for filing APIS yet seen by aviation. You can read about it in our recent news release.

Linking Aviation’s Legacy and Modern IT

Today’s airlines must communicate effectively with multiple partners using technologies ranging from the ancient to the most advanced. The interaction of these disparate systems can lead to minor or even more severe problems that result in delayed flights that cost airlines money.

The Air Transport Association estimates airlines incur an average of $61 per minute in direct operating costs per delayed aircraft. The total cost to aviation from these delays in 2009, according to ATA, was $6.1 billion. Those statistics further burden an already cash-strapped aviation industry that is simultaneously battling recessionary forces and higher fuel costs.

At AvFinity, we’re working with multiple issues in linking legacy and more modern IT architectures that span the whole range of aviation communications and data integration services. Our approach to solving these issues is revolutionary for its simplicity, cost-effectiveness and immediate results.

Recently, AvFinity was privileged to be part of the solution chosen by Canadian North Airlines for its legacy software issues. The Canadian North team was great to work with and you can read about how it all came about in our case study or our news release.

Three Reasons for Direct Connections

Aviation communications historically have revolved around legacy Type B formatted messages sent over a shared network using legacy communications technology. TCP/IP technology disrupts this legacy approach by facilitating direct connections.

Direct connections are one of TCP/IP’s most important features because they put aviation messaging control into the hands of the user not the provider.

Here’re three reasons why direct connections make sense:

1. Direct connections are the optimum way to message with frequent recipients like government flight and border authorities. Direct connections mean your flight plans and APIS submissions come out of the legacy messaging mix and instead travel through the time and cost efficiencies of the Internet. In other words, these messages travel the most direct means at the lowest cost.

2. Any aviation company can switch almost overnight to the efficiency of direct connections by using AvFinity, an authorized third party provider, to send your messages. AvFinity enables aviation companies to connect quickly through AvFinity’s patent-pending software technology on the plug-and-play AvFinity Integrated Services Router™ (AIRS™). AIRS™, based on the Cisco ISR/AXP platform, contains connectivity software to all agencies to which AvFinity has access authorization. The list includes:

• AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network) through the Federal Aviation Administration’s NADIN II
• NAV CANADA
• EUROCONTROL
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Transportation Security Agency
• FAA’s Enhanced Traffic Management System for CDM participants
• CARICOM (Caribbean APIS)
• Canadian Border Services Agency (pending)
• SENEAM (pending)
• UK eBorders (pending)
• Additional connections will be added in the Americas, Europe, Asia and emerging markets in coming months

Some aviation companies may choose to establish their own connections. To do that, you must hire developers to write connectivity software, and/or application software, and undergo testing—all of which will take several months and, perhaps, years. We suggest you try AIRS first and see if it doesn’t meet your needs at a low price.

3. Finally, if you’re accustomed to legacy technology, you know that character costs and monthly connection fees are standard metrics for establishing pricing. Direct connections using TCP/IP don’t concern themselves with characters. So you should pay less. AvFinity offers flat pricing for its direct connection services so you know exactly what you pay every month.

Changes on the Fly

It’s a great month when a customer dealing with a problem can choose between tossing $50,000 to a team of developers to write software or solving it themselves for free.

But who has that choice?

Users of the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS) do.

Here’s an example:

A recent AIRS user needed to solve a recurring format issue in their messaging system. Their messaging partner told them it would take $50,000 for developers to write a software alternative. Plus they’d have to wait several weeks.

AvFinity pointed them to the patent-pending scripting engine that comes with AIRS. It solved the issue in just minutes…at no cost. It also ended up saving them untold amounts in prevented fines.

AIRS integrates seamlessly with the client’s back-end system, and its proprietary scripting engine permits messaging conversion and much more to enhance that integration whenever needed. Sure, you have to know JavaScript, but even if you don’t AvFinity can write the script for you at a tiny fraction of any other option.