Communication
• Ionos. Sapient Nitro and SH&E have partnered to provide Ionos, a multichannel communications and marketing platform that blends an airport’s real-time travel information with precisely targeted marketing messages for travelers. According to the company, Ionos uses a combination of website, mobile applications, and in-airport digital signage to convey relevant information to travelers while enroute to the airport and throughout the airport experience. The platform debuted in partnership with Denver International Airport, featuring a website and a corresponding iPhone application called goHow Airport; www.ionosplatform.com/mobile/.
Convenience
• Printing Hubs. PrintontheGo has unveiled a service that enables any location to serve as a secure mobile printing center. From hotels to airports to universities and convention centers, the service gives the ability to print documents, emails with attachments, and Web content from a laptop, smartphone, or wireless handheld device. PrintontheGo wireless printing stations allow institutions and proprietors to provide patrons with access to easy, secure printing capabilities, and require no investment other than an electrical outlet, says the company; www.printonthego.com.
• Contactless Payment. McCarran International Airport and MasterCard Worldwide announce that the airport now accepts MasterCard PayPass contactless payments in its major parking lots. The implementation will allow travelers to tap their MasterCard PayPass contactless cards or devices at exit lanes. Airport parking lots are one of the latest merchant environments where acceptance of contactless payment is growing versus traditional cash payments. In addition to increased convenience over cash payments, contactless payments help reduce airport congestion by streamlining parking payments.
Fuel Program
• Integrated Tankering. Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. report that UVflightplanner.com, Universal’s RAD-compliant, optimized online flight planning system for business aviation now performs integrated fuel tankering calculations. This is the first such flight planning system to be able to perform these calculations in conjunction with an aviation contract fuel program, says Universal. UVflightplanner.com’s optimized flight planning engine calculates the tankering distance based on the optimized flight path, aircraft performance limitations, and other factors; www.uvflightplanner.com.
Security
• SAFE for Airports. Quantum Secure has announced that its SAFE for Airports solution has been chosen by the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport as its physical access and identity management solution. The SAFE for Airports solution will streamline access assignment and management, automate key physical security policies, simplify badging operations and improve tracking/reporting throughout the airport, says the company. With a largely seasonal employee base and a small airport badging staff, the airport needed a flexible, automated badging system for the enrollment, verification, and processing of personnel gaining temporary or long-term access to the airport; www.quantumsecure.com.
• Registered Traveler Relaunch. The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) selects iQueue to re-launch Registered Traveler (RT) at Indianapolis International Airport. iQueue is a partnership of Cogent, Inc., ARINC, FLO Corporation, and International RAM Associates. iQueue will provide members with expedited access to the screening checkpoint enabling greater predictability in travel schedules. Annual iQueue membership is $149 with discounts for families, multiple-year memberships, and negotiated volume corporate purchases; www.flyiqueue.com.
• Video Surveillance. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launches a pilot project at Boston Logan International Airport to test and demonstrate new video surveillance security technology. The Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance, or ISIS, provides high-resolution 360-degree camera coverage combined with video analytics software.
• Checkpoint Screening. L-3 Communications reports that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has ordered approximately 200 ProVision advanced imaging technology systems for the screening of passengers at U.S. airport checkpoints; www.l-3com.com.
Tech support
• IT Support Contract. As the result of a competitive solicitation, ARINC Incorporated has been awarded a managed services contract to provide on-site maintenance and technical support for passenger processing systems, flight information display systems (FIDS), and other specialized electronic systems at Washington Dulles International Airport. More than 1,000 pieces of equipment are involved, according to a press release. The new contract significantly expands ARINC’s IT service role at Dulles; the company’s IT support subsidiary, ARINC Managed Services, already provides technical support for the Parking Revenue and Control System at the Dulles self-service and employee parking lots and garages. ARINC personnel will perform first-level maintenance on 345 workstations, 361 printers, and 315 flight information displays; www.arinc.com.
