Soft Space & Inflight Dublin improve AirAsia inflight services

Soft Space, a premier fintech-as-a-service (FaaS) provider, and Inflight Dublin, a player in inflight entertainment (IFE) solutions, have cemented a strategic collaboration to enhance the airline inflight experience. This partnership will see the integration of Soft Space’s inflight Point-of-Sale (POS) system, Fasspos, with Inflight Dublin's Everhub platform, offering a seamless, customer-centric retail experience for airline passengers.

Under this agreement, passengers will have the convenience of selecting entertainment options such as movies, music, and games and making inflight purchases directly from their own devices via in-seat ordering. The initial implementation of this integrated solution will take place on AirAsia, the largest low-cost carrier in Asia, with the aim of personalising and elevating the inflight experience for its passengers.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) market within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Projections indicate that this market will reach USD $382 million by 2029, boasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.02% from 2024 to 2029. Both Soft Space and Inflight Dublin are now well-positioned to offer a more comprehensive solution across multiple countries in the APAC region, hoping to capture a substantial share of this burgeoning market.

Another crucial aspect of this collaboration is the potential to drive significant growth in ancillary revenue for regional low-cost airlines. Ancillary revenue, defined as revenue from non-ticket sources, has more than doubled globally from USD $42.6 billion in 2013 to USD $102 billion in 2022. By leveraging the rich offerings of the Everhub platform and the streamlined inflight purchase experience provided by Fasspos, this partnership allows airlines to tap into new streams of ancillary revenue. This growth is essential for airlines as they combat rising inflation and aim to return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism.

John White, Chief Executive Officer of Inflight Dublin, said, "We are thrilled to partner with Soft Space to bring AirAsia’s passengers an enhanced inflight experience. By integrating Soft Space’s cutting-edge payment solution with our platform, we are setting a new standard for inflight entertainment and convenience, benefiting all airlines that partner with us." He added that this collaboration simplifies airline operations by maintaining a single platform for payments, thereby reducing technological efforts and enhancing market strategies.

The inflight payments sector presents immense opportunities for applying innovation and technology. Joel Tay, Chief Executive Officer of Soft Space, remarked, "Payments for airlines is an area where we believe innovation and technology can be widely applied. AirAsia has adopted our payment technology from the start and has helped push what is possible in technology to the cutting edge."

Tay further stated, "We believe that the travel segment is a vital part of cross-border payments and ecosystem building, and we are committed to building a full-stack payment solution suited for airlines. This will help airlines grow their ancillary revenue and leverage their ecosystem to offer loyalty and financial services. The partnership with Inflight Dublin and the pilot programme with AirAsia is a key milestone in this goal."

Inflight Dublin’s Everhub platform is a comprehensive wireless inflight entertainment solution encompassing hardware, software, content, and design. The platform allows airlines to offer passengers inflight entertainment streamed directly to their devices. Fasspos, powered by Soft Space’s payment platform, facilitates seamless and secure card payments for flight attendants. AirAsia, the first airline to implement this technology, aims to set a benchmark for transforming the inflight experience. This move is anticipated to open new revenue streams, including advertising and retail, in the future.