Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has unveiled new Connected Aircraft software updates for its GoDirect Cabin Connectivity suite of services, giving operators and ground crew better visibility into data use through real-time updates, sophisticated data traffic management tools, consultation services and additional billing options.
Services offered via GoDirect Access, GoDirect Filter, GoDirect Data Control and GoDirect Network can generate savings of up to $100,000 per year, per aircraft.
With Honeywell’s GoDirect Cabin Connectivity, business jet owners and operators can access a variety of services to easily manage and control their satellite communications and connectivity network from an online portal or mobile device.
Honeywell is offering business jet passengers specific control of data flow and credit card and voucher billing for each personal device through its expanded GoDirect Cabin Connectivity suite of services. In addition, GoDirect Portal’s new flight tracking feature can be synced with the GoDirect Network application to let operators and fleet managers maintain control of their connectivity services with real-time updates of the aircraft location, network health and data consumption.
“Passengers are increasingly demanding that they stay connected throughout their flight, but reliable, premium and affordable service has traditionally been hard to come by. We’re focused on helping business jet operators keep their passengers connected while also making it easy and cost-effective for them,” said John Peterson, senior director, Connectivity Services, Honeywell Aerospace. “With the suite of services and mobile applications included in GoDirect Cabin Connectivity, operators can easily access and troubleshoot a business jet’s connectivity network, monitor data use and manage costs.”
Operators can access GoDirect Cabin Connectivity apps and services through Apple’s App Store, making implementation of the services quick and easy.
GoDirect Cabin Connectivity — new and updated services
Honeywell has enhanced its suite of GoDirect Cabin Connectivity services with new capabilities to keep passengers entertained and operators informed. They include:
- GoDirect Data Control: Honeywell’s proprietary solution can shape the different forms of data traffic without degrading the user experience. Only Honeywell can optimize the cabin experience and put customers into smaller data plans, thus erasing the misconception that more bandwidth or a higher-tier service plan is required to handle all forms of high-throughput traffic — including video streaming. The service will be expanded in the future to independently tunnel VPN and VOIP data consumption, allowing customers to customize how much of the available bandwidth they want to allocate to each activity.
- GoDirect Connectivity Consultation: Honeywell identified a strong need for consultation services to help business jet operators make educated and informed decisions about their aircraft connectivity needs. This hands-on advisory and software configuration service provides customers with direct access to experienced engineers. Honeywell’s new Connectivity Consultation service can support business jet operators using any service or system to help their aircraft stay connected while lowering costs.
- GoDirect Access: Honeywell has expanded its GoDirect Access offering to include per-device billing, per-leg billing and department billing. This broader suite of products gives commercial and government operators the unique ability to tailor their data services offering to dynamically meet the broad range of needs from charter to corporate missions. These services are a proven tool to assist operators looking to control data costs and contain data budgets.
- GoDirect Portal: This web-based service helps crew members and ground personnel communicate more efficiently by offering one place to keep flight information and documentation organized. With its new “flight tracking” feature, the portal lets operators view the number of connected devices and the network they are connected to, gauge the health of the networks, and track the aircraft’s location and data use. The portal will be synced with the GoDirect Network app, providing fleet managers with real-time information on their entire fleet and operators daily updates on data use.
- GoDirect Routing Software: This simple software upgrade gives operators access to the new features provided by GoDirect Cabin Connectivity that ultimately increase cost efficiency. Routing software updates provide up-to-date information about the portal to the ground network. The GoDirect Routing Software helps operators, via the portal, provide uninterrupted service to their passengers by managing connections between available channels, including 3G and 4G LTE, L-band, SwiftBroadband Ku-band, and Ka-band.