Communication & collaboration platform optimised for delay & disruption management for aviation operations

The Frequency Communications [“Frequency”] solution is the first aviation operations specific communication and collaboration platform optimised for delay and disruption management.

Delays cost airlines over €22bn annually (prior to Covid-19). Frequency allows real time information sharing and distributed decision making, across the airlines operations, so that the right decisions are arrived at sooner.

Frequency was founded by three airline pilots with over 40 years of flying experience and domain knowledge. Their goal is to streamline communications from the cockpit - enabled by WiFi availability - with the broader airline operations Digitisation agenda.

Frequency ensures the critical communication lines between the Aircraft, Line Maintenance and Operations Control are kept open all the time both on the ground and in the air with the optimum method of communication available which drastically improves decision making and communication transfer during disruptions such as delays, diversions and incidents which has not been available until now.

Value proposition

Airlines currently use an overly complex web of 8 legacy (predominantly analog) communication channels on a daily basis. The consequence of so many communication channels leads to increased delays and costs as well as impact on safety. Pre-Covid European Airspace regularly ran at full capacity which led to slot allocation and delays. Euro-control reports that VHF radio congestion is the single biggest contributor to capacity related delays.

As well as capacity restrictions another example of why airlines urgently need to evolve from analog to digital communication is a recent analysis of 28,000 reports on the NASA Air Safety Reporting System which showed that 70% of the reports were related to poor communication. It concluded that the importance of communication in the airline industry cannot be over emphasized.

50% of delays are under the airline’s control. The Frequency solution will offer effective collaboration between Pilots, Operations Control and Maintenance by communication through Voice, Text, Photo or File, on the ground and in the air. Shared information enabling:

• Distributed decision making & arrive at the right decisions sooner
• Improvement on time performance - avoid diversions and reduce the impact of disruption
• Support & trouble shoot with flight crew as required in-flight
• Implement reset procedures when time is available, use voice – text – photo or file sharing to decide on the quickest/safest course of action
• Coordinate in real time with outstation maintenance and get instantaneous progress updates
• Arrive at the right decisions sooner

Product

During the current development of the Frequency MVP, the product has evolved from a unified communication tool, to include a collaboration platform with project management features. This mix of features around communication, collaboration & project management will meet the needs of airline operations, which is a combination of frontline / deskless users and office based teams.

Unlike existing systems, Frequency is a software solution utilising the recently installed on-board Wi-Fi and 4G tablet devices within airlines. For the airlines the Frequency Solution - requires minimal capital expenditure, has no range issues, has no line of sight issues, and can run in parallel with existing systems before replacing them.

The Frequency MVP will be piloted by JetBlue Airways (an American low cost airline) as well as Aer Lingus.