Since Airbus, Delta, OneWeb, Sprint and Airtel launched the Seamless Air Alliance in 2018, it has welcomed a ‘who’s who’ of airlines, airframers, telcos, satellite operators and suppliers as members, with the shared goal of building inflight connectivity standards that will, as its name suggests, make the IFC experience far more seamless for passengers, including by enabling mobile operators to extend their services into the cabin.
Several expert working groups within the organization address the different challenges. For instance, Architecture and Interoperability, chaired by executives from Airbus and Boeing, is exploring the opportunity for onboard equipment interoperability and interchangeability, whilst Hosted Platforms, chaired by Kontron, is building the framework for general purpose IFC computing with open-standard, software-defined functionality.
But a relatively new working group, called the Airline Forum, sees Seamless member airlines working together within the alliance to compare notes about their IFC experiences, and to help Seamless decide on what issues to tackle next to make IFC simply work better. Their input is essential. After all, Seamless is seeking to address many of the IFC pain points that airlines have flagged up as a concern.
Alaska Airlines inflight product & experience director David Scotland founded the Airline Forum in October 2022 and has been an active participant in the alliance from the moment he joined. Among his accomplishments, Scotland led the development and release of the group’s IFC Toolkit, which helps carriers adopt vetted, trusted metrics for measuring and comparing IFC service quality in RFPs and performance management conversations. He also helped to create the so-called Seamless Certified Service Quality program, which enhances an airline’s ability to track the inflight connectivity experience that is delivered to passengers.
Now Seamless Air Alliance is excited to announce Anna Sieber as the new Chair of the Airline Forum. Currently responsible for inflight entertainment and connectivity performance at JetBlue, she brings a wealth of experience to this role.
“Prior to her current position, she played a pivotal role in JetBlue’s onboard technology and inflight entertainment as part of the airline’s Product Development team,” notes Seamless in a statement on LinkedIn. “In her new capacity as Chair, Anna is eager to collaborate with fellow airline members and the IFC Technical Forum. She also aims to build upon the standards established under David Scotland’s leadership. Through this collaboration, Anna is confident the team will introduce new features to enhance passenger connectivity.”
Runway Girl Network reached out to Sieber to learn more about her work at Seamless and JetBlue, and indeed her impressive trajectory in aviation.
“I am thrilled and honored to assume the role as Chair of the Airline Forum for Seamless Air Alliance! I’ve been a participating member of Seamless for a couple years now, and I truly value the dedication of everyone’s efforts towards creating an IFC standard,” she tells us.
“The Airline Forum creates objectives for the other groups within Seamless Air Alliance, along with helping airlines understand the multitude of new offerings, differing networks, and differentiating features that are available.”
One initiative that Sieber is particularly excited about is a partnership between the Airline Forum and the alliance’s Tech Forum (chaired by Thales and Telesat) to establish consistent metrics for measuring and scoring passenger Quality of Experience (QoE).
“JetBlue has been at the forefront of IFC offerings being the first and only US airline to offer fast, free and unlimited Wi-Fi on all flights. Being a part of JetBlue’s IFE&C team gives me unique insight into ways we can further advance in IFC offerings,” says Sieber.
“As more airlines follow our lead and adopt IFC, it’s crucial a standard is formed and agreed upon across the board so passengers can expect a certain level of service whilst flying in the ever-connected world we live in.”
Sieber chaired her first Airline Forum meeting virtually in July and reports that it was a great experience. “I think the most important takeaway from this opportunity is being able to meet other folks in the industry and have an opportunity to collaborate with them on a mission we can all get behind; providing passengers with an IFC experience that leaves them delighted, not disappointed,” she says.
Her enthusiasm is clearly infectious but that’s not news to her bosses at JetBlue.
“My start in aviation was, let’s just say, unconventional. I’ve been a JetBlue loyalist forever, but I had no background aviation, let alone IFE&C,” she confides to RGN.
“My story started when I boarded a flight heading home from visiting family in Florida, and upon sitting in my seat I was immediately impressed by my IFE screen greeting me by name. Not only that, but the fact that I had fast, free Wi-Fi for the entire flight was an added bonus! Noting these impressive features, I curiously perused the job board to see if there were any openings at JetBlue and coincidentally spotted an opportunity on the Product Development team specifically focused on IFE & connectivity.
“With a background in Product and my newfound admiration of the IFE&C systems onboard, I knew I had to shoot my shot. Using [JetBlue’s free Wi-Fi] Fly-Fi while still in-flight, I reached out to the hiring manager mentioning my admiration of the systems, and heard back from them all while still on this same flight! My interview was scheduled for the following day, and not long after that, I joined JetBlue’s IFE&C team.”
Since beginning her career in inflight entertainment and connectivity, she saw how important these features are to the overall inflight experience. “[T]hey offer the opportunity to either delight customers, or on the flipside, negatively impact their image of the brand as a whole,” she notes.
“I’ve also watched as many airlines followed JetBlue’s lead offering free inflight Wi-Fi, which means the industry is coming to a consensus. Since joining JetBlue, being able to have an impact on the customer experience is what intrigued me the most. My team’s main priority is to advocate for our customers, and I take that responsibility to heart whilst thinking of friends and family flying and wanting to provide them with the best possible experience using the products I support.”
Sieber’s advice to anyone looking to start a career in aviation is two-fold. “I encourage anyone who may be intimidated or unsure if they are qualified to just go for it; apply for the job or reach out for more information on the role. What’s the worst they can say, no? I think our anxieties regarding qualifications can hold us back from opportunities, so my best advice is just simply inquire!” she urges.
“The second piece of advice I’d give is to never be afraid of asking questions. Especially if you have no prior knowledge but you show genuine interest in what you are pursuing, getting clarification by just asking a question (or two, or three… or four!) is your best bet at excelling in your career.”
One other crucial piece of advice I’d like to provide is to try to connect with someone who can mentor you if you’re breaking into a new industry. That can truly set the stage for the rest of your career.
I was lucky enough to find a mentor in my now manager, Ken McQuillan, who has a wealth of knowledge in not only IFE&C, but aviation and it’s many facets, that he has generously shared with me since my start at JetBlue. I am so grateful for his mentorship because while he has helped me get a better understanding of the industry, he also has continually encouraged my career growth. I‘d attribute that to being the key to success in any new industry; having a support system through a mentor who believes in you.
It’s easy to see why Sieber is now chairing the Airline Forum at Seamless. “Her enthusiasm and passion for improving passenger connectivity will help us continue to deliver innovative outcomes for airlines, member companies, and passenger experiences,” says Seamless CEO Jack Mandala.
He adds: “David [Scotland’s] drive, determination and contributions over the past years have been instrumental in determining how to measure and manage IFC service quality. It has been a pleasure and honor to work with David, and on behalf of all SAA members, we sincerely thank him for his tireless efforts.”
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Featured image credited to Mike’s Photo https://mikesphoto.net/
