US-based Trans States Holdings opts for electronic charts from Lufthansa Systems

Lufthansa Systems today announced that Trans States Holdings is the first US airline group to opt for its electronic iRouteManual charts from the Lido product group. The company has signed a five-year agreement with Lufthansa Systems for the solution. Trans States Holdings owns and operates three regional American carriers – GoJet Airlines, Compass Airlines and Trans States Airlines – with a regional jet fleet of 120 short- and medium-haul aircraft.

Lido/iRouteManual and its accompanying apps give pilots access to all navigation charts in electronic form. The charts are optimized for use on the Apple iPad. The navigation solution includes general maps, takeoff and landing charts, instrument flight rules (IFR) charts and depictions of airport runways.

This technology allows flight crews to download the required charts to their iPads and use them for flight preparation whenever they want, in the briefing room, in a hotel or at home. The charts are generated directly from the Lido navigation database and are always up to date. The tablet is secured in a special mount in the cockpit during the flight. Unlike permanently installed solutions, this set-up enables pilots to individually select the desired level of detail on the charts using the touchscreen and zoom function as well as the usual iPad controls.

Dan Reed, Vice President Flight Operations for Trans States Holdings said, “Lido/iRouteManual gives our pilots the flexibility they need in terms of time and space to optimally prepare for a flight. The clear, self-explanatory charts reduce the flight deck workload during a flight and help ensure safe flight operations.”

Particularly in high-intensity phases such as takeoff and landing, the crew is supported by the clearly arranged and self-explanatory graphical displays. The true-to-scale depiction of the terrain and topographical information, such as the height of mountains and course of rivers, improves the pilots’ situational awareness. Pilots can access additional flight information – including communication frequencies, control zones and route-specific features – at the touch of a finger. They can also easily switch between different charts and other relevant documents using the touchscreen.

Stefan Auerbach, Executive Vice President Airline Solutions at Lufthansa Systems, said, “With Trans States Holdings, we work together with a prestigious airline company in the American market. We are confident that Trans States Holdings will be able to further optimize its flight operations with our solutions and its pilots soon won’t want to be without iRouteManual."

Just this May, Trans States Holdings had opted for the Integrated Operations Control Center (IOCC) Platform from Lufthansa Systems. The IOCC Platform is the first integrated, modular IT platform for monitoring and controlling all of an airline’s operating processes across departmental boundaries.