Virgin Blue selects Rockwell Collins avionics for new B737 NG fleet

[oz_mark]

Boradband services?? Hmm....

BRISBANE, Australia (November 22, 2010) - Virgin Blue Airlines has selected the entire suite of Rockwell Collins' scaleable avionics for its new fleet order of Boeing 737 NG airplanes (50 firm, plus 25 options; 25 purchase rights). The full suite of communication, navigation and surveillance systems features Rockwell Collins' newest SAT-2200 satellite communication (SATCOM) offering, as well as its proven MultiScan™ Threat Detection System, TTR-2100 Traffic Avoidance System (TCAS) and GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR).

With this award, Virgin Blue is the first airline to select the Rockwell Collins SAT-2200 SATCOM system, which integrates traditionally separate avionics and cabin functionality into a single unit that provides classic aero services and broadband services.

Virgin Blue selects Rockwell Collins avionics for new B737 NG fleet

 

[codash1099]

Boradband services?? Hmm....




Virgin Blue selects Rockwell Collins avionics for new B737 NG fleet

Borad band? Do you mean Borat band? Frightening

 

[oz_mark]

The kind of unique offering that perhaps the Virgin group would supply :shock:

 

[munitalP]

I would be happy being on any plane with Rockwell products. Rockwell Automation has been an industry leader for a long time in my field of expertise, and are the rolls royce choice.

I would assume this partnership will bring good things to the table

 

[oz_mark]

I would be happy being on any plane with Rockwell products. Rockwell Automation has been an industry leader for a long time in my field of expertise, and are the rolls royce choice.

Is the Rolls Royce choice a good one?:shock::shock::mrgreen:

 

[munitalP]

Is the Rolls Royce choice a good one?:shock::shock::mrgreen:

Yeah though that after I submitted the post :shock: :shock:

 

[777]

Effectively this system equips the fleet for satellite based internet connectivity should they choose to use it. Can't imagine they would have gone with that spec if they weren't planning on using - looks like in flight WiFi might be coming after all.

See: SwiftBroadBand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[markis10]

I think you will find its IP TV.

 

[777]

I think you will find its IP TV.

Yeah, that could well be the case - the specs certainly allow for it - and its a lot less intrusive on the planes than LTA. Still, any reason to assume they wouldn't be considering wifi if the platform supports it?

 

[markis10]

Still, any reason to assume they wouldn't be considering wifi if the platform supports it?

The poor take up of terrestrial based services elsewhere, which are much cheaper to offer than VSAT ones.

 

[oz_mark]

Yeah, that could well be the case - the specs certainly allow for it - and its a lot less intrusive on the planes than LTA. Still, any reason to assume they wouldn't be considering wifi if the platform supports it?

As I understand it, LTA is on the way out, so this may be one of the pieces that replaces it.

 

[Nigelinoz]

A bit further in the press release from Rockwell there are these lines.

the Rockwell Collins SAT-2200 system meets passengers' connectivity needs during flight

and also

SAT-2200 is designed to maintain communications without pilot intervention during all flight phases while also connecting passengers to broadband services

 

[markis10]

I would really be surprised if inflight connectivity comes to Australia, I can see the use from an airline management point of view, the ability to pump live gate transfer info to each customers seat would be nice and solve a lot of stress when things are running late, but satellite broadband is just too expensive in terms of access costs to make a business case of getting customers to pay for it.