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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:02 pm
  #76  
 
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I can also confirm this isn't true.

While the IBM/Apple initiative has approached AC as a launch partner for their upcoming products (this is public information), the current Air Canada apps for iOS, Android, or BlackBerry do not work with any iBeacons/BTLE beacons installed in any airports.

Although this concept is cool, and likely coming in the future (as with all airlines), it is not something that currently exists or even built (yet).

Last edited by tylerkatz; Jan 22, 2015 at 1:04 pm Reason: Clarity
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:21 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by jaysona
So, let me play a little bit of devils advocate here.

Bolded above are "Air Canada" "flight planning" and "customer retention"

Those may not be the proper associations for the wording though, perhaps "the customer retention" belongs with Citi and others that are mentioned in the article(s) and the "flight planning" and "Air Canada" do belong together.

If that's the case, then the iBeacon does make sense, since it would permit AC to track where flight crews are. Perhaps the current provider smart4aviation is being replaced by IBM or perhaps IBM has been engaged to work with smart4aviation to help with flight planning software and crew scheduling/tracking.

This is all pure speculation on my part, but just another avenue to consider given what Ben stated and what is written in the article(s).

It's quite easy to spin anything you read to suit your own needs, really.


Thanks for your comment.

(I'm not in tech but I think the future is here, just not deployed everywhere or always effective. I use Passbook for my BPs and it's great. One tiny, tiny data point)
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:22 pm
  #78  
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Originally Posted by tylerkatz
I can also confirm this isn't true.

While the IBM/Apple initiative has approached AC as a launch partner for their upcoming products (this is public information), the current Air Canada apps for iOS, Android, or BlackBerry do not work with any iBeacons/BTLE beacons installed in any airports.

Although this concept is cool, and likely coming in the future (as with all airlines), it is not something that currently exists or even built (yet).

Welcome to FT.
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:26 pm
  #79  
 
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A thread of pure speculation on FT. How unusual.

I wonder if anyone at IBM is thinking about anything right now aside from the bloodbath that's about to happen.
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:28 pm
  #80  
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Originally Posted by tylerkatz
I can also confirm this isn't true.

While the IBM/Apple initiative has approached AC as a launch partner for their upcoming products (this is public information), the current Air Canada apps for iOS, Android, or BlackBerry do not work with any iBeacons/BTLE beacons installed in any airports.

Although this concept is cool, and likely coming in the future (as with all airlines), it is not something that currently exists or even built (yet).
Current as in "released"? Fine. I'll give you that one.

But it has been built, and it has Air Canada branding on it. Maybe IBM just used AC branding because they wanted something "real" to demo to other airlines, and AC has no knowledge of this, in which case, I was wrong in my post that it was a project for AC (but it seemed like a reasonable assumption).
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:30 pm
  #81  
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Originally Posted by After Burner
A thread of pure speculation on FT. How unusual.

I wonder if anyone at IBM is thinking about anything right now aside from the bloodbath that's about to happen.


Interesting that you should mention that as I was just reading Forbes (again). Project Chrome sounds like something out of a spy movie.

Next Week's Bloodbath At IBM Won't Fix The Real Problem

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertcr...-real-problem/
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 7:39 pm
  #82  
 
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
Current as in "released"? Fine. I'll give you that one.

But it has been built, and it has Air Canada branding on it. Maybe IBM just used AC branding because they wanted something "real" to demo to other airlines, and AC has no knowledge of this, in which case, I was wrong in my post that it was a project for AC (but it seemed like a reasonable assumption).
So. Out of all the airlines possible. Why would IBM choose Air Canada.
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 7:42 pm
  #83  
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Originally Posted by SparseFlyer
So. Out of all the airlines possible. Why would IBM choose Air Canada.
Maybe it's because i'm buzzed, but I don't get this. IBM is deeply entrenched with AC. Of course IBM would choose AC over another entity that doesn't do business with them?
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 7:51 pm
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Originally Posted by superangrypenguin
Maybe it's because i'm buzzed, but I don't get this. IBM is deeply entrenched with AC. Of course IBM would choose AC over another entity that doesn't do business with them?
I did not know that IBMs relationship with AC was significantly greater than that with other carriers sorry
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 7:54 pm
  #85  
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Originally Posted by SparseFlyer
I did not know that IBMs relationship with AC was significantly greater than that with other carriers sorry
No need to apologize. IBM works with AC intensively. I know we work with WS very intensively. Either way, it's safe to say AC is an IBM shop
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Old Jan 25, 2015, 9:08 pm
  #86  
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YVR has been tracking passengers with Bluetooth for a number of years through a company called Intervistas.
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Old Jan 26, 2015, 6:23 am
  #87  
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Originally Posted by 7E7
YVR has been tracking passengers with Bluetooth for a number of years through a company called Intervistas.
The difference is that the system you describe would be tracking MAC addresses. The system IBM built tracks passengers. Knowing where John Smith is when he's the last one left to board on AC 123 is worth something to the airlines.

Knowing that most people spend 10 minutes in duty free is not nearly as useful.
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Old Jan 26, 2015, 12:15 pm
  #88  
 
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If this comes to fruition, and you don't want to be tracked or notified, the first solution that comes to mind is to turn off Bluetooth. It takes about 5 seconds on my phone.

The second possibility is to turn of Bluetooth pairing, although it's possible that the app automatically treats iBeacon Bluetooth devices as trusted devices.

The third possibility is to turn off the app.
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Old Jan 26, 2015, 12:22 pm
  #89  
 
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
The system IBM built tracks passengers. Knowing where John Smith is when he's the last one left to board on AC 123 is worth something to the airlines.
Are you sure what IBM has built is for tracking AC passengers, or are you just assuming that is the case based on articles and screen mock-ups?

Enquiring minds want to know.
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Old Jan 26, 2015, 12:34 pm
  #90  
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
The difference is that the system you describe would be tracking MAC addresses. The system IBM built tracks passengers. Knowing where John Smith is when he's the last one left to board on AC 123 is worth something to the airlines.
For me, the app is only useful if it can zap John Smith with 10,000v of electricity while he's sitting at the bar because he's been paged 3 times and is holding up the flight.

But that's just me.
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