AvFinity Can Help Airlines With CBSA March 31, 2012 Deadline

Airlines that fly into Canada have until March 31, 2012, to transition to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) new API data acquisition solution. CBSA will not allow further extensions and airlines failing to transition by the deadline will suffer penalties.

AvFinity can help if your airline hasn’t started the process yet. AvFinity has been qualified by CBSA to be an authorized service provider with direct CBSA connectivity. We put our considerable technical expertise to work for you. We feature high quality MQ connectivity due to its non-repudiation and assured delivery capabilities.

If your airline is required to connect CBSA, AvFinity is your best value service provider.

Contact us today to begin the process of connecting to CBSA. For more information on our APIS services, including connectivity to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and to CARICOM, visit our web site.

AvFinity is connected to Canada Border Services Agency's API PNR PUSH ahead of major airlines!

AvFinity has completed testing and is now authorized to submit Passenger and Crew manifest data (API and PNR) to the Canada Border Services Agency ahead of the major airlines.

Do you need help connecting to Canada’s new PNR Push program for submitting your APIS manifest data? Cargo and Charter flights are an immediate fit for the AvFinity PNR Push solution. The deadline for moving to the new PNR Push program is December 2011.

Contact AvFinity today for your CBSA PNR Push solution!

http://www.avfinity.com/ContactUs.php

AvFinity AIRS Adds Air Wisconsin To List of APIS Customers

Air Wisconsin, the largest privately held regional airline in the U.S., has joined the growing ranks of carriers that have implemented AIRS™ to manage Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) filings for international flights.

AvFinity is an authorized U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-departure message provider. We designed AIRS so that it provides airlines with connectivity to CBP, CARICOM and soon to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to facilitate APIS filings.

AIRS has become wildly popular for APIS because it has a bunch of neat features that allow airlines to check their data before filing (thus, avoiding potential fines). Airlines also can monitor their message flow in real-time via the AIRS built-in browser or receive alerts on successful APIS submissions via SMS and email.

We’re proud to say that more than one-third of North America’s regional air carriers now are using AIRS for APIS, flight plan filing, NOTAMs and Collaborative Decision Making (CDMs). That’s phenomenal growth for this powerful data communications/integration appliance in just its first year of introduction.

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.