iFIDS.com Frequently Asked Questions

Please browse the FAQs listed below. If you have a specific question visit the Contact Us page for telephone and email information .

How is iFIDS.com different?

iFIDS.com is a completely Internet-based FIDS solution through which flight data is collected and re-distributed from the iFIDS.com host site, and flight display screens in your airport use actual web-pages for display. All flight data updates are managed via the Internet either automatically using FTP Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or manually using a standard Internet browser. For air carriers that use FTP EDI this means they do not have to hard-wire communication links into your airport in order to send automatic data updates. For air carriers that update data manually this means flight data can be updated from any location, such as dispatch HQ.

Is there an Annual Fee?

iFIDS.com carries an annual service/hosting fee that is related to the size of your airport. iFIDS.com does not relate the annual fee to those fees you may be charging air carriers, or revenues you may collect from advertising. Included in the iFIDS.com Annual Fee are all system software upgrades, professional data management and backup security, and a block of monthly telephone support.

iFIDS.com is the only FIDS provider that lets the customer determine the level of flight updating service required. Since all communications are transmitted over the Internet, iFIDS.com offers clients the opportunity to decide their “hit” rate and thereby determine their own cost structure. For the purposes of cost calculations, a “Flight hit” is defined as the transmission of a page of flight information multiplied by the number of flights being updated. By determining the number of flights to be displayed on a screen and the refresh rate for each display, customers can tailor the annual subscription fee.

What equipment is required?

iFIDS.com is a hosted Internet based-system. As a result, iFIDS.com requires no special equipment at the client airport other than a reliable Internet connection, a PC with a compatible Internet Browser and the respective display monitors.

Can the airport use existing FIDS equipment?

iFIDS.com can very likely take advantage of display monitors already installed at your airport, which can substantially reduce the cost of installing a new FIDS solution. The airport may consider energy saving cost factors with newer monitor technologies which can automatically turn off and on at specified times (during early morning hours for example.)

Is iFIDS.com expensive? Can my airport afford iFIDS.com?

The iFIDS.com purchase price is low compared to other FIDS solutions, and the iFIDS.com annual service/hosting fee can be compared with other FIDS providers support fees. As a result both the initial and ongoing cost of operating iFIDS.com at your airport is substantially lower than other FIDS solutions. The low cost of iFIDS.com makes it viable in smaller airports that previously could not afford a FIDS solution at all. iFIDS.com works closely with the airport to ensure the most cost effective solution is achieved.

Does the airport require DSL (or other forms of high-speed Internet)?

The costs associated with Internet connectivity have changed dramatically over the last decade. The quantity of Internet communication capacity you need depends on the size of your airport. High-speed Internet is an option, but in terms of scale, iFIDS.com will operate properly on a typical voice telephone line in airports with as many as 2 million enplanements. Ultimately, the amount of Internet communication required is determined by the number of arrivals/departures your airport experiences during its highest load period. From a performance and support perspective, iFIDS.com strongly recommends the utilization of a high-speed Internet connection. This can be a part of a pre-existing network, however, a dedicated connection is preferred whenever possible.

Do we (airport personnel) have to do anything?

iFIDS.com is designed to be self-maintaining. Virtually every aspect of iFIDS.com is controlled at the host (iFIDS.com main offices), including airline data collection and flight updates. The only maintenance issues that remain at the airport are the display monitors themselves and one or two PCs to drive those display monitors. The iFIDS.com software installed on the PCs at the airport, which control the display monitors, is also designed to be self-maintaining. Airport personnel involvement include nothing more than a basic understanding of physical hardware layout.

Is specialized knowledge required to use the system?

No. Airport personnel do not have to be involved or knowledgeable in any technical aspect of the iFIDS.com product, which includes airline data collection and flight updates. Airlines can send flight data to iFIDS.com using completely automatic FTP EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) or can manually input/update flight data via the very easy to use Internet-based user-interfaces.

How are flight updates entered?

Airlines can send flight data to iFIDS.com using completely automatic FTP EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) or can manually input/update flight data via the very easy to use Internet-based user-interfaces.

What if a carrier doesn't keep the data up-to-date?

iFIDS.com flight data updates work on an exception basis, which is to say carriers only need to update flight data if a flight varies from the baseline condition. If a carrier's schedule is listed with iFIDS.com, iFIDS.com will list applicable flights on the screen a predefined period of time before the flight is supposed to occur. The carrier can update each flight to indicate that it is early/delayed or arrived/departed/cancelled. Arrived/Departed/Cancelled flights are considered terminated, and terminated flights are removed from the screens 15 minutes (time delay is variable) after the termination. If a flight is not updated to indicate that it has Arrived/Departed/Cancelled then the flight will be removed from the screens 60 minutes (time delay is variable) after it was supposed to occur.

How big an airport can the system scale to?

There is no airport size limitation for iFIDS.com.

Who manages the advertising?

Advertising and messaging can be managed via the online iFIDS.com user-interfaces. New images can be introduced to an existing profile, and new profiles can be designed online. If necessary, iFIDS.com will provide these services.

How does the advertising work? Does iFIDS.com retain the rights to sell advertising, or does my airport take care of it?

iFIDS.com places no claim on the right to sell advertising at your airport, nor does iFIDS.com place any claim on revenues your airport may collect through advertising.

Can passengers get flight information on connecting flights?

Any carrier can optionally list connecting flight information on the FIDS at your airport.

What is meant by the "iFIDS.com Custom Browser"

iFIDS.com has developed a Custom Browser for the purposes of displaying web pages with flights and/or messaging on your flight information display monitors. The primary difference between the iFIDS.com Custom Browser and typical Internet browsers (ie. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera) is that the iFIDS.com Custom Browser operates full-screen and has built in error detection and recovery systems to ensure flawless unattended operation.

Can iFIDS.com display different information on different display monitors?

Yes. iFIDS.com allows an airport to define as many "display profiles" as it likes. Each display profile can be made to display a variety of variable flight information such as arrivals only, departures only, arrivals and departures, specific airlines, all airlines, or specific pages of arrival/departure data (useful for creating coordinated "banks" of display monitors). Each display profile can be made to display a fixed or variable number of flight events per page, and can have its' color schemes customized. You can also modify a display profiles' refresh or paging rate. All of these parameters are easily managed using the online iFIDS.com user interfaces.

How many FIDS Controller PC's does an airport require?

The number of FIDS Controller PC's an airport requires is greatly determined by the number "display profiles" an airport wants to define; where a display profile represents an individual video feed. There are a number of factors such as distance, reliability and cost that come into play when designing and implementing an iFIDS.com solution at your airport, and these factors will also determine how many FIDS Controller PCs are needed. The iFIDS.com design team works closely with each customer to ensure the most cost effective infrastructure is in place.

Essentially, you need a different video output for every unique display profile you want to access and display. There are a number of ways to accommodate multiple video outputs on a single PC, so it doesn't necessarily mean you need to purchase a new PC every time you want to take advantage of another display profile.

A simple example of multiple video feeds would be an airport that wants to split arrival and departure information across two screens, and would therefore define one display profile for arrival data and one display profile for departure data. Considering that iFIDS.com actually displays web pages on your flight display monitors, it follows that a PC somewhere in the airport must be running an Internet browser (specifically the iFIDS.com Custom Browser) which in turn is accessing a specific web page on the iFIDS.com web-site.

If an airport wanted to split arrival and departure information across separate screens there would need to be two different iFIDS.com Custom Browsers running, each accessing a different web page (or display profile) at the iFIDS.com host site.

If these two screens are in close proximity, the PC quantity can easily be limited to one by using a dual-head (output) video adapter. The first output is dedicated to the iFIDS.com Custom Browser accessing the arrivals data and second output is for the iFIDS.com Custom Browser accessing the departure data. This concept can be expanded upon with quad-head adapters as well, but the key is working with screens in relatively close proximity.

Furthermore, iFIDS.com suggests using screens that have a video output option. If your airport wanted to display identical information on screens that are close together, one screen could drive the other.

Is there a limit to how many displays a single FIDS controller PC can drive?

No. Each video output from a FIDS Controller PC can drive an unlimited number of display monitors. As described above, each of the display monitors being driven from a common video output will, by definition, display identical flight information.

What are the specifications of the FIDS controller PC?

No. Each video output from a FIDS Controller PC can drive an unlimited number of display monitors. As described above, each of the display monitors being driven from a common video output will, by definition, display identical flight information.

What are the specifications of the FIDS controller PC?

There are no extraordinary requirements for a FIDS Controller PC. It must be capable of accessing the Internet and must be capable of running an Internet browser.

What are the cabling requirements?

iFIDS.com has no specific cabling requirements beyond those needed to send video to the display monitors in your airport. A typical installation will have a display screen with a small profile display driving pc mounted on the back of the screen. A video cable will run between these two devices. The only other requirement is Internet connectivity to the pc. This is accomplished via Category 5 or 5e (CAT5) eight-wire cable common in Ethernet LAN installations. The advantage of this type of cabling is it's very low cost and the fact that most electrical maintenance personnel already have experience with it.

Can my airport use iFIDS.com if we go wireless?

Yes. iFIDS.com can take advantage of a wireless network to facilitate the required Internet connectivity, although a hard wired connection is more secure, and therefore, the preferred choice.

How long does implementation take? Who does the physical implementation? Are implementation services covered in the purchase price?

There are two very different aspects of iFIDS.com implementation. The first aspect is setting up your air carriers to send data to iFIDS.com either manually or electronically using FTP. This phase of implementation requires coordination with each of your air carriers' IT departments and/or dispatch personnel. The second aspect is the physical installation of display monitors, mounting hardware, cabling and FIDS Controller PCs. The amount of time required by each of these implementation steps is determined by the size of your airport and by the number of air carriers at your airport. Implementation services are usually included in the quoted installation price.

What are the software requirements for iFIDS.com? Is specialized software required? Does iFIDS.com integrate with the airport's present network?

FIDS Controller PCs at your airport, which drive the display monitors, will need to have the iFIDS.com Custom Browser installed. The iFIDS.com Custom Browser includes several features that help make retrieval of flight data via the Internet somewhat more reliable and fault-tolerant. Air carriers and all other users of iFIDS.com (including home users) require version 5.x of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or any version of Firefox.