One small step for the MRO channel - one giant leap for Flightglobal

Today we've deployed a new-look MRO channel page to replace our old-style Maintenance channel page.

It's our first major code release to the main part of the site since October 2009.

So why has it taken so long to jazz up one channel?

Well, the new MRO channel (and associated articles and article listing pages) represent the first significant step towards a new vision for Flightglobal.

That is to combine the popular free content (which has helped attract over 1.2 million visitors each month) with our world-class professional news and data services (some of which are currently under different brands or on separate websites).

We are going to bring them all together in one place in order to build an experience for visitors and members of Flightglobal that is tailored exactly to their needs, be that entertainment, information or business critical analysis.

The professional side of the site will come under the brand Flightglobal Pro, with the orange Pro logo representing content and services that are paid for and subscriber-only.

Where the MRO channel fits in is that it's the first of our channels to have the Pro news content switched on. As we go along we'll be introducing the Pro experience to other channels and also more stuff to Pro, like Pro data, more functionality and greater personalisation options.

We understand that mixing up free and paid-for content has the potential to confuse visitors to the site who are or aren't entitled to see Pro content.

To try and sidestep that usability issue, visitors to the MRO channel will now start to see a series of icons (purple for free content, orange for Pro content) which will help guide them to other stuff they might like or find useful, as well as indicate what they can access or what they've paid for.

So today is more than just a fresh look for the MRO channel; it's a beta launch for a brand new Flightglobal which includes a beta launch for Flightglobal Pro.

As one British mobile telecoms outfit says: The future is bright, the future is orange ...