AirCell is partnering with Virgin America to offer broadband
Internet services for passengers traveling in the continental U.S. sometime
in 2008.AirCell’s new service will allow Virgin America guests to check
e-mail, surf the Web, tap into an office network and stay current on the
latest news, using either Virgin America’s Red inflight entertainment
system or their own Wi-Fi enabled laptops, Smartphones, PDAs,
BlackBerrys and portable gaming systems—while in flight.
  As part of the partnership, AirCell and Virgin America will integrate
AirCell’s broadband service into Virgin America’s groundbreaking inflight
entertainment system, Red(TM). In a first-of-its-kind deployment, Virgin
America will launch the service across its entire fleet of aircraft.
  This high-speed broadband Internet service is made possible by
AirCell’s unique air-to-ground cellular network, which transmits and
receives data between the ground and the aircraft at broadband speeds.
  Upon launch, Virgin America guests will have:
  —U.S. broadband coverage, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Canadian to the Mexican borders
  —Connectivity on 802.11 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
  “AirCell’s broadband service is the obvious choice to add to our guest
experience,” said Charles Ogilvie, Virgin America’s Director of Inflight
Entertainment & Partnerships. “Our goal with broadband is simple: let
guests decide how and when they want to communicate and interact by
providing relevant options. In AirCell we have a partner who knows and
understands innovation.”
  “The Virgin way of doing things is world renowned for good reason,”
said Jack Blumenstein, AirCell CEO. “Virgin brings radical, positive change
to every industry in which it operates. The AirCell relationship is no
different and we are proud to partner with Virgin America in one of the
most significant transformative experiences in the airline industry.”
  The cost of the service on Virgin America will be announced at the time
of service roll-out. For information about AirCell and its broadband
Internet service visit http://www.aircell.com
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