Various - Airlines Embracing Cool Tech

Various - Airlines Embracing Cool Tech

Tech-jetting

One of the hardest marketing messages to convey is that you are current, and understand the market. Recently more and more airlines are embracing their inner-geek to stay ahead of the trendcurve and cleverly selling themself as geek-chic.

Such carriers include ‘Silicon valley favourite’ Virgin America, self confessed nerds. Infact so much so, one of their aircraft is dubbed #nerdbird to celebrate the large number of Wi-Fi users travelling on the San Francisco-Boston route, thanks to their fleet-wide onboard wi-fi and USB and power outlets at every seat.

The #newAmerican Airlines has pushed hard to shake off its old image, and as such is investing heavily into the tech world, we only last month reported how they played a big part at the @SXSW event. The latest venture for the carrier is to launch an investment fund for start up companies.

Delta also turned more Star Trek than airline in February, showcasing its renewed focus on sleep at the annual TED conference in an innovative way. The airline hosted a talk from renowned Oxford neuroscientist and sleep expert Dr. Russell Foster addressing jet lag and how the eye tells time and demonstrate his research in action with a so-called ‘Photon Shower’ – a small light chamber that conference attendees could enter for a short period of time to help reset their body clocks through a personalized light treatment.

Alaska Airlines backs data contest to reduce flight delays

Alaska Airlines had recently joined forces with General Electric to offer a USD100,000 prize to a winning Singapore team who have created a new algorythm for predicting airline arrival times and help reduce passenger delays. The second phase of the ‘Flight Quest’ initiative is to have statisticians suggest ways that airlines could use their data to actually adapt to changing circumstances during a flight.

British Airways to hold 40,000ft hackathon

British Airways have now started championing technology advancements, and announced last month they were going to hold a ‘Hackathon’ aboard one of their aircraft, travelling from future techhome San Francisco to London. The airline invited 100 top innovators to an 11-hour self dubbed “UnGrounded” hackathon. A number of high-profile founders, CEOs, and venture capitalists will all participate, with the aim of collaborating to create some solutions to global problems.

The airline also joined up with RocketSpace recently, a startup accelerator based in San Francisco, to gain access to startups. The team will be asked to present their findings at the Decide Now Act (DNA) Summit workshop on arrival in London.

Great innovation happens when you bring people together face to face, not when you have people sitting alone in rooms

explained EVP of British Airways Simon Talling-Smith.