Airlines looking for a low-cost way to process credit card payments in real time have a new option to consider. On-board digital platform provider Bluebox has teamed with FFLYA to deliver payment processing via the Iridium Certus network.
For some airlines, any investment in connectivity is still years away – and we have well-proven offline solutions for them. Now, we’re able to offer a happy medium – all the power of Blueview, boosted by the ability for airlines to increase revenue with more onboard sales in a secure retail environment, thanks to live payment validation.
– James Macrae, CTO, Bluebox
The solution leverages the Blueview software from Bluebox for the retailing. Transactions are transmitted from a Bluebox Wow wireless IFE box to a FFLYA gateway on board, connected via a small patch antenna to the Iridium Certus LEO network. The approval (or denial) is processed on the ground and the results returned within the time window for live transaction handling on the client.
FFLYA historically has differentiated its on-board solutions by virtue of a Bluetooth connection to passenger devices rather than using Wi-Fi. Bluebox confirms that this implementation, however, uses a “secure wireless connection, not Bluetooth.”
Read more: AirFi LEO takes flight, lays out roadmap for expansion
The two companies demonstrated the functionality in ground trials. Transitioning that to in-flight should be relatively trivial; FFLYA has a significant install base of its connectivity kit operating in the air. Moreover, FFLYA and Wizz Air have previously demonstrated credit card transaction processing in the air.
Speaking to the solution FFLYA President Ron Chapman notes, “Bluebox and FFLYA share some common principles in providing low-cost, rapid deployment of systems that improve the passenger experience and help our airline customers generate revenue.” Chapman also points out specific differences between his company’s solution and that of AirFi, the other key player in the low-bandwidth, LEO-based payments processing space.
Specifically, Chapman calls out the advantages he sees in the coverage available from a patch antenna atop the fuselage, unlike the window-mount design used by AirFi, “for which there can be a 60-degree blind spot above larger aircraft which can result in a high failure rate of transactions due to the unique time and data requirements of live retail payment validation.” But that also means putting a hole in the fuselage, which entails other considerations, particularly for leased aircraft. For its part AirFi uses a multi-antenna approach to avoid blind spot issues.
The external mount also requires regulatory certification. FFLYA has an STC available for installation on the Airbus A320 family and is working on certification for the Boeing 737 family of planes.
More narrowband LEO connectivity news:
- Iridium poised to open new aero markets
- AirFi LEO aims to alter the inflight retail landscape
- Wizz Air expands fflya functionality with live credit card processing
- Wizz Air gets online – without wifi!
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