Rapidly Expanding Air Berlin Continues to Back TouchStar and Novo
05 January 2007
Constant innovation has allowed Air Berlin to become the second largest German airline and the airline's growth continues unabated. The airline has 13.5 million passengers per annum and exceeds a €1.2 billion turnover. The airline has just reported that profits for the first nine months of 2006 were up by nearly 20%. In tandem with this announcement, the company has declared that it is to boost its fleet with the purchase of 85 Boeing 737-800 Next Generation jets. This commitment to continuous strategic capital investment is reflected in Air Berlin's association with Novo IVC. Air Berlin originally became a customer in 1997, when they purchased 12 devices to service four aircraft.
In November 2006 Air Berlin placed an order for 335 TouchPC™ Falcons, each equipped with an integral TouchPod to facilitate credit card transaction and printing. Tough and versatile, the Falcon's simple yet ergonomic design provides the Air Berlin cabin staff with a rugged and reliable tool for the job. The large colour touch-screen means that the Novo can optimise the SkyPOS retail software with user-friendliness in mind. Air Berlin users are guided through large on-screen buttons and simplistic menu-driven applications, enabling retail transactions to be carried out swiftly and efficiently. It is anticipated that Air Berlin will go live with the new units in February 2007. The Falcons will be used by over 2,500 cabin crew and the on-board data capture system will interface with the Enterprise version of the Pro Logistica' Back Office system.
The November order represents will the third consecutive investment that Air Berlin have made in Novo on board retail systems. The latest generation system provides enhanced capability for high processing speeds and expanded data storage, as well as wireless communication between devices and also to the ground. This will enable on-line credit card verification, car rental and train ticket sales, flight connections and complex special offers to be processed on board, should Air Berlin choose to implement them.
