Delivering free inflight internet to passengers across a fleet of more than 750 aircraft is no easy task. To help track the passenger experience – and ensure service quality meets contracted levels – Delta Air Lines has contracted with Neuron to deliver performance insights across its connected fleet.
We want to transform Delta aircraft into the ultimate platform for digital engagement and discovery, and that requires fast, reliable in-flight Wi-Fi. This partnership underscores our rigorous approach to innovation that requires we analyze several inputs both internal and external, to deliver the best experience possible for customers.
– Glenn Latta, Managing Director of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity at Delta Air Lines
Neuron’s Pulse platform allows for real-time monitoring of network performance on board, either via an applet running on devices (e.g. crew tablets) or an onboard server, integrated into the IFC environment. That data is aggregated into a cloud-based analytics platform, allowing airlines to quickly see real-time problems with performance, as well as to track trends over time.
Read more: Measuring more than Megabits: Inflight internet monitors take the spotlight
Importantly for the airlines, they maintain ownership of their monitoring data, and the service operates wholly independently from the connectivity service providers. This allows Neuron to provide a trustworthy analysis of the performance.
Speaking to the partnership, Benny Retnamony, founder & CEO, Neuron adds, “Neuron provides Delta with visibility into additional aspects of the connectivity lifecycle, including how the airline’s in-flight connectivity directly influences overall customer satisfaction and NPS.”
Among other metrics, Neuron tracks packet loss, latency, jitter and traffic queue depth to generate its performance scores. The company also compiles a Quality of Experience score for web browsing and, if a customer requests, streaming media. These composite scores are based on a series of milestones in the site load, including DNS resolution, server contact, TLS negotiation and how long it takes for the first bits of data to be received at the monitoring system on board.
The full set of metrics can typically be delivered consuming less that 64 Kb/s of data, depending on which sites are being monitored. That collection is customizable by the airline, allowing for monitoring of typical services as well as specific promotional partner sites, should that be desired. Adding monitoring of streaming media increases the data consumption, but it remains a lightweight platform.
Monitoring performance of the systems is a critical first step, but it is only the beginning of what Neuron sees as the potential value of its data services.
There’s more to the story… Dig deeper with a PaxEx.Aero Premium Subscription
How and when (or if, even) that change comes about remains to be seen. But history suggests that if a large enough airline sees value in such a shift, suppliers eventually tend to come around. Even if it is somewhat unwillingly.
And, in the meantime, Neuron’s customers can use the reporting data to hold suppliers accountable for performance while potentially controlling spend on unneeded capacity. That should be a win for everyone.
A favor to ask while you're here...
Did you enjoy the content? Or learn something useful? Or generally just think this is the type of story you'd like to see more of? Consider supporting the site through a donation (any amount helps). It helps keep me independent and avoiding the credit card schlock.
Leave a Reply