Eurowings GmbH

Uwe Kohlmetz, Head of Flight OPS IT at Eurowings explained the challenges the existing solution presented, “The existing solution we used to provide users with access to NetLine was suffering from a number of problems including poor administration and security and also a restriction on the number of remote sessions they could have open at any one time. This made it harder for them to undertake concurrent tasks efficiently, impacting their ability to react to live situations as they happen. NetLine is one of the most important systems in our business and it’s a big problem if there are any issues, including around performance.”

Using lower cost Windows end-points, rather than costlier Unix workstations, is only a part of the overall solution. Users must have secure and remote X-Windows sessions, supporting multiple high-resolution monitors and also data compression to ensure any connection with poor bandwidth could still operate satisfactorily. Supportability and administration of the solution was also a consideration when Eurowings decided to look for a replacement solution.

“In the past we had to use multiple tools and applications for remote access to key software applications like NetLine,” stated Martin Stenzel, Manager Flight Operation Application. “Our ideal would be a single solution, allowing a greater number of secure, stable and performant connections. So we took the decision to identify a suitable new solution.” added Kohlmetz.

Initially, recommendations were sought from elsewhere within the Lufthansa Group and a proof of concept (POC) exercise was undertaken.

“Our colleagues at Lufthansa Systems recommended OpenText Exceed TurboX, as they were already using it successfully to provide secure, remote access for their users,” added Andreas Buxot, Expert Flight Operation Application, “During the POC we were impressed with the high quality administration functionality, which we could see would address issues we were experiencing. Added to this, the security is far superior than we had at the time and support for a much higher number of connections per user would alleviate the need for users to keep switching and closing sessions and applications.”

Having evaluated Exceed TurboX, feedback showed that the operating interface was better suited to the way users work and administration capabilities such as central profile administration would ease the administration and deployment overhead.

Having made the decision that OpenText Exceed TurboX was the right solution, the aviation industry was hit with the devastation caused by the global coronavirus pandemic and the project was placed on hold. However, with the shift to staff working from home, with diverse computing environments, some with poor bandwidth, the existing solution would clearly not be able to cope.

“Even though all IT budgets were frozen, we made an exception and decided to proceed with OpenText Exceed TurboX,” said Kohlmetz, “Despite a much reduced number of flights operating, we still had to ensure that those still taking place were meticulously planned as always. Exceed TurboX enables users to work securely from home, even with poor bandwidth, thanks to the data compression it provides. Supporting them and resolving any application issue is much simpler than with the old solution. The screen sharing feature of Exceed TurboX means our support team can see exactly what the user sees, expediting diagnosis and resolution.”

During the pandemic, around 50% of the user base has been deployed with Exceed TurboX and now around 100 users are active at any time. The global travel restrictions are extremely fluid and so users need to be able to react quickly to changes, reinstating or altering routes, crews, ground services and so on.

“During the implementation, despite the challenges of coronavirus, we received great support from OpenText,” said Buxot and Stenzel, “Any questions that arose were quickly addressed and resolved and we even became aware of additional capabilities of Exceed TurboX and there are not outstanding issues at all.”

With the number of flights being operating steadily increasing, the benefits of using OpenText Exceed TurboX are being increasingly felt.

“The solution is easier and faster to administer, critical when changes are happening in real-time in the aviation industry, such as crew changes due to sickness,” explained Buxot, “Exceed TurboX is proving to be that elusive, single solution we sought, it is stable, secure, functionally rich and users are very happy.”

With performance improved and a greater number of sessions per user possible, user feedback has been almost universally positive. A small number initially resisted change but they were soon convinced when they experienced the new environment, performance and support improvements.

“Our decision to proceed, even during the pandemic, has been fully justified,” stated Kohlmetz, “Users are happy and able to work remotely and efficiently, support has been improved, all important factors in a mission critical environment.”

Users report that they can focus on the task in hand, simply clicking on a link that takes them directly to the facility they need in NetLine. They can have countless preconfigured links to speed things up for them and they don’t have to think about which solution they need for a task as Exceed TurboX is now a seamless part of the overall work process.

To date, there has not been a single outage due to Exceed TurboX. Allied to the improvements for users and support, there is a universal consensus that the solution is providing a positive financial impact through a reduction in support overhead, improved user efficiency and a reduction in delays for aircraft operations.

As recovery hopefully continues in the industry, the deployment of additional users will continue for NetLine users. Additional uses for Exceed TurboX are also being considered.

“With all features implemented and working as envisaged, the project has been a great success,” concluded Kohlmetz. “This is not just down to Exceed TurboX, but also the support and knowledge of OpenText personnel, from account management, through consultancy and to support, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with OpenText. We have felt valued throughout and a clear understanding of our needs and would not hesitate in recommending OpenText Exceed TurboX to others.”