Why use an OPEN Communication Hub

AIRS is now installed in about 50% of the regional airlines in North America. Many of these airlines are codeshare partners of major airlines.

AvFinity is currently introducing its Open Communication Hub that addresses the need for simplification, knowledge transfer and collaboration within the logical framework of a major airline and its code-share partners.

With the OPEN Communication Hub, AvFinity simplifies host-to-host and outstation-to-host messaging, data and application communications.

The solution is designed to operate flawlessly within an Alliance’s heterogeneous systems and network environments.

3 Key Challenges to ‘Open’ Airline Messaging

We’re often asked: “What makes AvFinity unique among aviation messaging companies?”

We think three qualities stand out that make us stand out in an industry that has long been offered limited choices.

1. We simplify things: Our communications experts have spent years deconstructing the aviation messaging system in order to better understand its legacy roots and how it functions through today’s cutting edge technologies. As a result of those efforts, we have developed software technology that enables each airline to control its own communications.

2. We transfer knowledge: After deconstructing the legacy messaging system, our communications experts transfer all the know-how on dealing with legacy architectures, disparate systems, multiple protocols and vast arrays of formats into a single box. We call it the AvFinity Integrated Router Solution (AIRS™) and it is a powerful Cisco manufactured router that plugs into a system and goes to work immediately. Its optimal environment is when it communicates between disparate systems. But it handles communications between similar systems with ease.

3. We promote collaboration: Our airline clients are anxious to share their new ideas about how to use AIRS with subsidiaries, code-share partners, GDSs, government agencies and much more. We encourage and assist that collaboration. And we’re proud to say that our clients have developed many really unique concepts like SMS alerts for APIS that were just on wish lists a few years ago.

Breaking the lock-in of legacy airline messaging

At a recent IT Summit held in Brussels, Jaan Albrecht, CEO of the STAR Alliance, highlighted one of the aviation industry’s major problems: Type B - a legacy messaging protocol. What became obvious from his message is that airlines need to escape from the lock-in to this type of legacy messaging.

Every day, airlines seek to improve and modernize their communications and messaging systems. The most appropriate way forward is to migrate from legacy proprietary systems and toward adoption of open, standard and more flexible technologies.

AvFinity is the first data communications company in aviation history that puts airlines in control of flight-critical and other communications. Our software technology is proven and unique in the industry as a solution that provides airlines with efficient communications that they control.

Instead of sheltering old messaging protocols, we simplify the communications environment by making airlines specialists of their own messaging using standard IP-based systems architectures.

Instead of legacy lock-ins, we promote continuous knowledge transfer, so our technology serves as a platform to provide open messaging systems.

And instead of encouraging ‘silo’ mentalities among airlines about their communications, we promote collaboration around communities.

After all, that’s what successful airline communication will be about in the future. Why not start today?

AFTN/NADIN X.25 connections are down for maintenance, but AvFinity is still filing flight plans via CMHP for our clients!

Helping a Canadian helicopter pilot create an APIS Navigator account to file a last minute manifest to USCBP. He self-registered and is ready to file in less than an hour.

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.

AvFinity’s AIRS APIS Solution Helps a Regional Airline Avoid Costly Fines

Recently a regional airline was faced with numerous USCBP (United States Customs and Border Protection) fines because of their legacy email method for filing APIS manifests. The airline’s email filing method did not have sufficient checks and balances on the manifests, which caused around three million dollars in USCBP fines to accumulate against the airline.

Fortunately the airline was aware of the issues with the current APIS manifest submission method and had been in contact with AvFinity about our AIRS APIS Navigator solution before the meeting with USCBP. USCBP agents, being aware of the AvFinity APIS solution, waived the fines as long as the regional airline pursued a satisfactory solution soon. AIRS will be installed in the regional’s datacenter and will retrieve manifests from their application servers. AIRS routes those manifests to AvFinity based on the routing configured. Once the manifest lands at the AvFinity Datacenter some basic data verification is performed using AvFinity’s APIS Navigator software. APIS Navigator scans for required USCPB data like:

• Missing or Invalid travel document
• Missing or Invalid DOB
• Missing or Invalid Departure or Arrival time
• Fields too long
• Invalid characters in fields
• Required data field is missing
• Incorrectly formatted UN/EDIFACT message
• Etc.

If APIS Navigator finds errors with the manifest, it is rejected before reaching the USCBP production queue and an alert is sent to the regional airline. This saves the airline from having to pay USCBP fines. If the manifest passes the basic data checks it is forwarded to USCBP via a secure channel.

The regional airline is also able to login to the AvFinity Registered User site and monitor their APIS traffic. Both sent and failed messages are available for review.

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.