Aircell Announces 2010 Inflight Internet Seminar Series

Aircell announced the launch of a new educational series entitled, “Getting Your Business Aircraft Online: The Seminar” at the 53rd AEA convention and trade show in Orlando, FL on Thursday. Stopping in multiple cities across the United States throughout 2010, the tour will give business aircraft operators a complete understanding of the latest generation of inflight connectivity.

“There has been a wholesale shift in inflight Internet capabilities for business aviation in the past year – it’s an entirely new landscape,” said Aircell Senior Vice President and General Manager John Wade. “As part of the natural learning curve with these new capabilities, a great deal of confusion has arisen as various providers attempt to hype the virtues of a single network or an equipment package. What’s been missing is the chance for operators to get a balanced, straightforward overview of all three high-speed data networks for aviation – Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, Ku-band Satellite and Aircell High Speed Internet. This is exactly what Aircell’s 2010 Inflight Internet Seminar Series will provide.

“Even with all the advances, there is still not a single airborne network that represents everything to everyone,” Wade continued. “In sharp contrast to mobile networks on the ground which are often quite similar, airborne network capabilities can vary drastically. This makes it critical for operators to have a clear understanding of what’s available.”

Aircell developed seminar content from intelligence gathered from thousands of customer interactions since 2006. Attendees will get answers to the most commonly-asked questions, including:

• Can I use my own laptop, Smartphone or PDA?
• Are the connection speeds similar to those available on the ground?
• What can I expect for performance from each network?
• Are the systems difficult to use – do you log on like a hotel or coffee shop?
• What’s involved with the aircraft installation – will the equipment fit on my aircraft?
• How do I determine which systems will best meet my own flight department’s needs?
• Is all this as expensive as it used to be?

Wade continued, “People will walk away with a solid base of knowledge – capable of sorting out their own flight department’s needs and ready to have an intelligent conversation with their installation facility. They’ll be smart shoppers. Because inflight Internet systems typically involve a variety of company personnel, seminar content was specifically created for a wide range of perspectives. It’s as appropriate for executives as it is for  light department managers, maintenance directors and aircraft managers,” he concluded.

FMI: www.aircell.com/seminar