As part of its new GoDirect services platform, Honeywell Aerospace this week is rolling out a new suite of support tools aimed at giving operators as many services as they need, while also allowing them to have full control over how these are delivered and accounted for. A key application for this approach is in the fast-growing realm of cabin connectivity services, where ever-increasing levels of capability are on offer, but with the potential for costs to increase significantly.

Through GoDirect, operators will be able to access information about all the various services they get from Honeywell, and be able to more readily control how these are applied. In the case of cabin connectivity, they will be able to put in place limitations on available data rates so that, for example, passengers and crew might not be permitted to activate data-heavy software upgrades for their electronic devices. Operators can also isolate the costs associated with connectivity, which might be especially helpful for those who are flying different groups of passengers under different terms and conditions (for example, a charter flight versus a mission for the aircraft owner).

“This means that our customers can get control of data bills that we’ve seen increasing over the past three to five years by around 30 to 50 percent in some cases,” explained Honeywell director of marketing and product management John Peterson. “They want tools to allow them to get control of this so that they can make decisions on connectivity usage that both meet their needs and allow them to stay on budget, or at least be able to make conscious decisions about going over budget.”

At the company’s NBAA exhibit (Booth 2200), Honeywell will be demonstrating how GoDirect can be used to manage filters and access tools for services such as Jet Connex connectivity. “When an operator joins GoDirect, we will provide the applications they need and train them how they work, such as when a SwiftBroadband customer needs to update GoDirect software on their router,” Peterson told AIN.

Last year’s acquisition of Denmark-based Satcom1 gave Honeywell access to some innovative routing software that it has since applied to eight different hardware platforms, including the CNX 200 router. Now Honeywell has developed special network applications to make it easier for flight crews to access and use the GoDirect toolkit. This allows them to see current data rates aboard the aircraft and, when desired, set up a so-called “extreme streaming session” to permit higher than normal rates of data flow to and from the aircraft.

“It comes down to how much data do you want to pay for–a Windows or PDF software update, IOS updates [for cellphones]?” asked Peterson. “This can be tailored to each aircraft, and they can institute a captive portal ahead of each flight,” for example, letting the passenger know the terms under which connectivity is available, as hotels already do.

Also new is the GoDirect portal through which, via a single login, operators get a comprehensive view of the status of all services (including maintenance and cabin systems). Operators can set up alerts covering any aspect of the services they get from Honeywell.

“This is what pulls it all together for the operator and allows every [service] to work together, so that the customer can get control over the network and the level of service being provided,” Peterson explained. “From the operators we’ve spoken to, we believe we are the only company willing to go this far to give them such a high degree of control and information for services.”

Demand also is rising for new levels of cockpit connectivity, and Honeywell is looking to respond to this, too. “We’re taking a new direction in response to a maturing market that has seen flight departments tell us they want cockpit services that are broader than simple datalinks to include features such as weather data, single billing and a reduction in the number of service vendors they have to deal with,” said Peterson. “They want cockpit and cabin data under one service provider. 

At the same time, operators are demanding more sophisticated aircraft-to-ground datalinks. “The market for aircraft-to-ground datalink is maturing and flight departments are coming to us to say that they want broader cockpit services, including weather data, for instance,” explained Peterson.