The FAA's CMHP

AvFinity recently implemented CMHP (Common Message Handling Protocol) as a replacement for the common legacy X.25 synchronous connection for connectivity to NADIN II. CMHP offers many advantages not previously offered by X.25. Leading the list is the massive throughput advantage in the range of four to six flight filing strips per second.

In addition because CMHP utilizes IP versus the analog X.25 synchronous connection, high availability is enhanced significantly. CMHP allows you to retire the dedicated Telco circuit and CSU/DSU synchronous modem, which inherently provided a major fail point should the dedicated circuit become interrupted. Previously with X.25, AvFinity achieved redundancy through a back-up CSU/DSU and the Telco. Now, with TCP/IP-based CMHP redundancy, high availability is achieved through well known techniques.

For instance, with CMHP, AvFinity is capable of connecting reliably to both Atlanta and Salt Lake City centers and can switch between the two centers within 3 seconds should one of the connectivity points fail. In addition due to the high bandwidth AvFinity now enjoys with CMHP, flight plan filings occur in a fraction of a second while AvFinity also will be able to offer additional products from the FAA such as one-minute weather observations. These services are available through AvFinity via direct server-to-server connectivity using the AvFinity network as well as through AIRS (AvFinity Integrated Router Solution), which is an appliance that handles communications and integrates with backend operational systems.

With CMHP and AvFinity's non-repudiation protocols, AvFinity has significantly enhanced connectivity capability to airlines and flight departments desiring connectivity to the FAA. At our customers' request, AvFinity can provide many products such as weather and NOTAMs in addition to flight plan filing quickly and seamlessly. Give us a call to discuss how your operations can benefit from the efficiency that this exciting technological advancement offers the aviation industry.

Aviation SMS Alert Feature Jumps from Wish to Reality Because of AIRS

At AvFinity, we understand the value our customers derive from integration of aviation communications across multiple platforms. We built AIRS—the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution—specifically to create that value whenever the need arises. And although nothing can manage all unanticipated events, AIRS has a better chance of succeeding than anything else on the market.

For example, we recently received an inquiry from one of our airline customers asking if AIRS had monitoring capabilities. What they specifically wanted was to receive SMS alerts whenever the communications link from their Internet Service Provider went down between the AIRS appliance, which resides in the airline’s datacenter, and the AvFinity datacenter, which provides the direct connections to government border and flight authorities.

This airline has already been using AIRS for about a year to file flight plans and crew manifests to the FAA and USCBP, respectively. It has been pleased with AIRS’ reliability and integration capabilities. But after a few too many untimely Internet outages in their area, the airline’s operations and IT personnel wanted to monitor whenever their ISP dropped the link and delayed AIRS’ timely delivery of their flight plans and crew manifests.

During their year with AIRS, the IT manager became familiar with the versatility of this unique messaging appliance. He asked if AIRS offered a solution. After minimal configuration of the airline's AIRS appliance and AvFinity’s alerting system, his airline was receiving custom test alerts across five smartphones within an hour. The airline liked what they saw, and, shortly thereafter, AvFinity enabled this airline’s customized production alerting system. It was a case of “from wish to reality” in a matter of hours.

If your airline or aviation company has communications items on its wish list, we encourage you to consider AIRS. It not only provides more messaging features for today’s needs than you ever envisioned, it also is easily adapted to future or unanticipated issues.

For more information, we encourage you to visit our website on the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution or to sign up for a Webinar to discuss your airline’s needs and how AvFinity can provide the answer.

Pinnacle Uses the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution For Efficient APIS Filings of Flight Crew Manifests

Pinnacle Airlines and its subsidiary Colgan Air recently announced it has selected AIRS as its messaging solution for Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) crew manifest filings. And along the way, Pinnacle also discovered the individual messaging power and freedom that AIRS brings to aviation.

AIRS is the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution. AIRS comprises AvFinity software technology operating on an industry-standard Cisco router.

With AIRS, message transmission is secure and reliable. Airlines and other aviation companies find that AIRS’ multiple interfaces simplify connections into any infrastructure (Websphere MQ, SFTP, SCP, HTTP) so that secure and reliable messaging occurs quickly with no hardware changes or additional development time. AIRS’ high efficiency allows key airline IT personnel time to think of multiple other uses for this unique solution. And that’s just what we’re finding with airline after airline.

Today, in addition to APIS transmissions, Pinnacle also uses AIRS to exchange data with other airlines regarding flight delays, cancellations and substitutions as well as send and receive the aviation flight-phase communications known as OOOI messages. And there are more new uses in the works. AIRS’ built-in flexibility and unique approach to messaging inspires innovative approaches that bring messaging under control of the individual airline.

We at AvFinity welcome any inquiries on solutions that will improve aviation messaging to the benefit of airlines, corporate flight departments and service companies. Contact us with your communications issue and find out how AIRS can help you.

AvFinity Announces Preferred Partner Agreement with SITA

AvFinity is privileged to be selected as a preferred partner of SITA’s operation-critical communications solutions to the air transport community in the U.S. and Canada. We at AvFinity believe the combination of our AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS) with SITA’s comprehensive messaging services instantly extends unprecedented communications efficiencies to North American air carriers.

SITA’s offerings available to AvFinity as a preferred partner include Type B, Type X, and EDI messaging; SITATEX; and SITATEX software development kit.

This is one scenario of how the partnership benefits air carriers. The AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS) and its patent pending software technology link disparate communications environments, integrate into backend systems and provide seamless connectivity for message transfer—all without any impact on existing IT infrastructure. These benefits combined with the worldwide network and messaging capability of SITA provides a robust cost-effective and efficient aviation communications solution that can be implemented immediately.

As Sandra Girona, SITA’s Regional Vice President, North America Sales and Relationship Management., said: “We are very pleased to begin a new partnership with AvFinity. The worldwide network and messaging capability of SITA combined with the problem-solving capabilities of AvFinity will offer an efficient communications team for the benefit of the North American air transport industry community.”

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.