Intelsat’s Non-stop Support Helps Airlines Offer Exceptional Experiences in the Skies

Airlines are like the average consumer in this way: when making a big-ticket technology purchase, they simply want and expect it to work. If a problem should arise, they want the issue to be addressed and resolved quickly and with minimal interruption.

When airlines purchase and install an inflight connectivity solution from Intelsat, they get that much-desired peace of mind with continuous access to non-stop support from the moment the service is switched on.

Comprised of a team of industry veterans and experts, Intelsat’s support team works behind the scenes, monitoring the performance of the equipment on the aircraft as well as the satellite network to ensure that whatever system is installed onboard – be it Air to Ground (ATG), 2Ku or the latest ESA antenna – works flawlessly and meets the expectations of its airline partners and their passengers.

Intelsat’s approach to support is multi-faceted and layered. Each airline partner has a dedicated customer operations manager who works directly with maintenance teams, program managers, and airline inflight connectivity teams to address emerging issues, and ensure optimized performance. If a failure occurs, the Intelsat customer manager interfaces and coordinates with the Network Operations Center and internal airline teams to identify the root cause of the issue and execute the needed fix.

Ongoing proactive and predictive maintenance is another critical aspect of support.  Intelsat support teams use sophisticated tools to monitor both the network and the airplane. When certain predefined thresholds, parameters, or trends are flagged, automated reports and tickets are generated, after which the issue is reviewed, monitored, and addressed. Intelsat’s approach to proactive monitoring preempts failures before passengers even recognize there might be an issue.

Intelsat also provides tools to give airline partners enhanced visibility into their own operations. Airline teams can review the performance of the inflight connectivity system on individual flights and query the system to gain critical insight on a wide range of service metrics.

Intelsat’s strong relationships and regular engagements with its airline partners, combined with technology that allows for real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, and tracking, give airlines the comfort of knowing their inflight connectivity system will function as expected and any interruptions to service will be minimal.

The Intelsat support team communicates with our counterparts every day, reporting on reliability metrics, coordinating with maintenance teams, and catching problems before they become apparent to our customers and their passengers. For Intelsat, it’s never just about switching boxes or throwing more hardware at a problem. We have the expertise to fix things the right way the first time and the tools to be proactive.

This flexibility and nimbleness were on full display following the recent loss of a critical satellite positioned over parts of Africa and Asia. Within the first 24 hours, Intelsat was able to restore service in most of the area by repositioning satellite beams and refocusing assets to where connectivity for commercial airlines needed to be.

The rapid response and restoration of connectivity for airlines flying through the impacted areas demonstrated our ability to respond to unforeseen circumstances. The Intelsat team jumped into action and adapted to fix the problem, communicating with our partners all along the way. Moreover, the satellite loss and resulting response also further underscored the importance of working with an IFC provider that has a fully redundant and agile satellite network.

It’s this unwavering commitment to non-stop support that sets Intelsat apart and ensures that its airline partners can always deliver exceptional inflight experiences everywhere they fly.