Aircell (Booth 2210) has named Jet Aviation as the first business aviation customer for its air-to-ground Broadband internet service. The system will be fitted to Jet Aviation’s Bombardier Global series aircraft.
The Aircell Broadband system allows passengers and crew to use their own wi-fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs to surf the web, receive e-mail and access their corporate VPNs at mobile broadband speeds, using a network of ground stations.
The company has also announced a new unlimited use, fixed-fee service plan, with no restrictions on the number of users, number of log-ins, session time or amount of data transferred.
Bob Seidel, Jet Aviation’s senior vice president and general manager, which operates the aircraft on behalf of a customer, says: “Aircell Broadband is a must-have technology as it lets passengers use their own laptops and smartphones. We have used the system in flight and it is very impressive. That level of performance, coupled with Aircell’s new unlimited monthly service plans, is unmatched and we look forward to getting it installed.”
Jack Blumenstein, Aircell president and CEO, says: “From the very beginning, the whole premise of Aircell Broadband has been to allow people access to full airborne connectivity in a way that is familiar to them.”
Aircell won an exclusive FCC frequency license to supply ground-to-air broadband services in 2006. Its Aircell network and in-flight portal, Gogo, was recently selected by Air Canada for passengers on trans-border flights, making it the first Canadian airline to offer in-flight wi-fi.
In August Aircell was selected by American Airlines for use on its Boeing 767-200 fleet for domestic flights. Delta and Virgin America have also chosen Aircell for in-flight broadband capability on US flights.
Source: Flight Daily News
