Virgin America and AirCell Partnering on U.S. Broadband Communications

Virgin America and AirCell are partnering to offer in-flight broadband Internet services over the continental U.S. sometime in 2008.  The new service will allow Virgin America's passengers to connect using either Virgin' onboard entertainment system or their own Wi-Fi enabled laptops, smartphones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), BlackBerrys and portable gaming systems.

As part of the partnership, AirCell and Virgin America will integrate AirCell's broadband service into Virgin America's new IFE (in-flight entertainment) system, dubbed Red (likely referring to its Red Hat technology) that will be available across its entire fleet of A320s and A319s.

AirCell's broadband coverage for Virgin America will extend across the U.S. from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Canadian to the Mexican borders.  Connectivity will be available on 802.11 Wi-Fi enabled devices, and passengers will be able to access the Internet using their own browser, bookmarks, and other typical personal features.  09-18-2007.

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