Britannia Airways Cabin Crew Deliver High-Tech Service For Travel Season
May 2003 - BOM along with their partner Casio secures deal with Britannia Airways
Britannia Airways today announced that its cabin crew are to be geared up with high-tech rugged PDAs in time for the start of the airline's busy charter season. This follows the signing of a deal with Bristol Office Machines Ltd (BOM) to supply 1800 Cassiopeia EG-800 hand-held devices running the Clue® Trader application.
By utilising the Clue® Trader application, developed by BOM, cabin crew will be able to process credit card transactions and print receipts for passengers making duty-free and other in-flight purchases. The Casio's EG-800 is complimented by BOM's SkyDock incorporating a lightweight Zebra Cameo printer and credit card reader that features bi-directional MCR (magnetic card reader) and smart card reader along with a barcode reader. Casio's EG-800 is used in-flight as a PDA or as the CPU of the SkyDock (docking station).
Britannia Airways, which has already established itself as a leading innovator in the use of technology, is the first airline to provide all its cabin crew with a personally-issued hand-held device that is enabled as a retail tool as well as a PDA. The Cassiopeia EG-800 has Pocket versions of Excel and Word as standard and iAnywhere software is also used allowing staff to access company updates, rostering information and email.
Britannia Airways project manager, infrastructure project, Eddie Marsden-Jones says by introducing the Cassiopeia EG-800 the company can streamline both customer service operations as well as staff communication channels.
"The Cassiopeia will improve the speed of retail transactions by making it easier and faster to accept payment in various methods including credit card." Mr Marsden-Jones said. "Britannia Cabin Crew will now have a single hand held device combining point-of-sale equipment with important communications technology. As well as pricing and special offers and a payment facility when selling on board, Cabin Crew will be able to access rosters, e-mails, handbooks and flight specific information. This will also be a platform for future development."
Images and product information will also be held on the device that can be shown to customers to assist the decision making process.
Casio mobile technology division general manager, Stephen Oliver, says Britannia selected the EG-800 device, as it is suited to both the demanding in-flight retail application, as well as being an effective staff communication tool.
"The Clue® Trader application with the Casio device has delivered a solution that will dramatically alter communication and will empower the crew to access real-time information cutting out the need for printed memos and rosters." Mr Oliver said. "Another key capability of the EG-800 is that flight reports can be automatically fed back to business managers without having to wait for paperwork to be hand-delivered."
Britannia Airways says the capability of the mobile technology can be expanded in future with an on-board network linking the PDAs, providing additional stock control information. It will allow crew to monitor stock levels and group sales acting as a sales incentive for staff rewarded on a commission basis.
The airline will phase out the traditional point of sale devices which had no additional computing capabilities by May 2003 and staff will be trained to use the Cassiopeia EG-800, which operates using the Microsoft Pocket PC platform. The Cassiopeia EG-800 features a rugged design and is drop resistant to a height of 0.75 metres and water resistant. The PDA also features a high-resolution 65,536 colour screen making the device ideal for graphic displays. Casio holds a Certificate of Air Worthiness for the EG-800 device, which was awarded following rigorous testing to ensure the device would not interfere with aircraft's engines or navigation equipment.
About Casio
Casio Electronics Co. Ltd is the UK subsidiary of Casio Computer Co Ltd, and is a major manufacturer of industrial handheld computers and other corporate and consumer electronics products. The Mobile Technology Division is dedicated to the provision of business-changing solutions, offering a range of products suited to applications for a wide range of industries such as transport and retail.
For further details please refer to: www.casio.co.uk
