Price Not Yet Announced For AirCell Service

It's one giant step for inflight connectivity. This week, wireless data and voice communications provider AirCell announced it is teaming with American Airlines to test broadband services with passengers across the US beginning in 2008.

AirCell's new Broadband Internet service will allow business and leisure passengers to check e-mail, surf the Web, tap into an office network and stay current on the latest news, using their own Wi-Fi enabled laptops, PDAs, iPhones, BlackBerrys and portable gaming systems -- while in flight. Passenger testing will be conducted on American Airlines fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft that primarily fly transcontinental routes.

The company says this high-speed broadband Internet service is made possible by AirCell's unique air-to-ground network, which uses the latest technology to transmit and receive data between the ground and the aircraft. American Airlines customer testing will incorporate the following features and capabilities upon initial rollout:

Nationwide in-flight broadband Internet service

Coast-to-coast, border-to-border, US coverage, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Canadian to the Mexican borders

Usable by passengers equipped with 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi enabled devices Real-time access to the Internet (using the passenger's own browser, bookmarks, etc.)

An array of context and destination-related content

"We understand that broadband connectivity is important to our business customers and others who want to use their PDAs and laptops for real-time, in-flight broadband communications," said Dan Garton, Executive Vice President - Marketing for American Airlines. "This is part of our continuing effort to take the lead in enhancing the travel experience for our customers and meet their evolving needs."

"Travelers are already bringing their own Wi-Fi enabled devices onto planes," said Jack Blumenstein, AirCell CEO. "Bringing broadband access onto domestic flights at an everyday, affordable price provides travelers the opportunity to recapture time. Making productive use of the time in the air will give them time back on the ground with family or just relaxing.

"Airline customers across the US list broadband access in flight as one of their top wishes," continued Blumenstein. "As the first airline to deploy broadband access, American is demonstrating its commitment to the business traveler and to its industry-leading position in technological innovation."

The cost of the service on American Airlines will be announced at the time of service roll-out.

FMI: www.aircell.com, www.aa.com