Leaders and innovators in the airline industry are recognizing the value of broadband in-flight. The ability to connect to email, internet and VPN in the air -- at a cost similar to a ground-based hotspot -- provides a customer experience never before possible. It is a productivity enhancer that attracts and retains high-valued business travelers, improving an airline’s onboard mix. As a revenue-generating service, AirCell broadband provides a significant revenue stream, further contributing to an airline’s financial success. Dramatically different from satellite-based services, AirCell broadband is significantly lighter, smaller and more cost-effective than anything that has come before. Already demonstrated aboard a commercial aircraft and scheduled for launch in early 2008, AirCell broadband will allow passengers to use their own 802.11-equipped devices such as laptops, PDAs, phones and BlackBerry® units in flight, for data communications in a fully integrated wireless cabin environment. Incorporating standardized equipment, proven EVDO technology and a reliable, affordable air-to-ground link, AirCell’s broadband installation and operating costs will be a fraction of satellite systems’.
The air-to-ground link is also available to the airline for crew and operational applications that can enable new initiatives, provide productivity benefits, and produce significant cost savings. In addition, crew voice communications through a handset in the flight deck and a cabin phone for flight attendants will support such things as emergency medical communications and contact with airline maintenance and dispatch. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to airline operational uses for the AirCell broadband system.
