Looking to digitize workflows among multiple cabin crew, but lacking a reliable internet connection? Faced with a similar challenge, Lufthansa turned to Ditto, a peer-to-peer database company, to digitize paper processes via a new Crew App. The Crew App was built by Lufthansa using Apple’s SwiftUI framework and is powered by Ditto’s Intelligent Edge Platform, a cross-platform peer-to-peer (P2P) database that allows data to sync among the crew even without network connectivity.
This app enables us to efficiently support Crews with a comfortable device like an iPad, and we can rest assured that Ditto’s Intelligent Edge ensures our data is always up to date, even when network connectivity is poor or altogether unavailable.
– Michael Hack, Solution Architect, Lufthansa
Prior to deploying the app, Lufthansa crew processed the pre-flight safety check via paper records. With the new solution the data is tracked digitally, delivering significant operational efficiencies and more reliable tracking of the critical information. And while the bulk of the communications can occur in a peer-to-peer environment, without access to the centralized server, there’s also an ingestion and offload process.
Crew devices can connect to the back-office while on the ground, either via airport Wi-Fi or a cellular link. Once in the sky, however, the systems communication directly with each other, either via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, rather than pushing data to the server. Once the flight finishes the devices regain their internet connection and can sync the data via a web service API, closing out the trip.
“Our partnership with Lufthansa underscores the importance of giving enterprises the ability to build their own apps using fewer resources and development costs, thanks to SwiftUI. Ditto’s Intelligent Edge technology allows quick deployment with no special hardware or equipment needed, saving time and money all around,” said Adam Fish, Ditto co-founder and CEO. “In addition, the digitization of Lufthansa’s documents and processes is part of a broader movement to enable deskless workers access to the same tools and efficiencies that desk-bound workers have, and we’re excited to continue to invest in that.”
That Lufthansa is pursuing this path, even as the carrier flies a mostly connected fleet is particularly telling. Rather than depend on that inflight internet network, the carrier is pushing the offline solution, ensuring these business processes can run smoothly. And with some of the newest planes still not online that makes the offline option even more compelling.
Lufthansa specifically built this app to run natively on iPhone and iPad, leveraging advanced networking of BLE 5 and P2P Wi-Fi, which synthesize flawlessly with Ditto’s Intelligent Edge to sync apps faster than ever before without the need for any additional hardware investment.
Ditto also counts Japan Airlines and Etihad Airways as customers in the commercial aviation market.
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