Dépêches

Avantair, Inc. Enhancing Its Fleet with Wi-Fi

Dépèche transmise le 11 avril 2012 par Business Wire

CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avantair, Inc. (OTCBB: AAIR), the industry leader of fractional aircraft ownership in the light jet cabin category and the only publicly traded stand-alone private aircraft operator, today announced that its entire fleet of Piaggio Avantis will soon feature high speed Internet. The company is currently enabling its fleet for Wi-Fi and expects the installations to be completed over the next several months.

“Business travelers are always looking for opportunities to make the most productive use of their in-flight time. Simply being airborne can no longer be an obstacle to online access and we are pleased to rollout this feature for our customers.”

“From email to movies and music, so much of people’s lives today require Internet connectivity,” said Avantair Chief Executive Officer Steven Santo. “Business travelers are always looking for opportunities to make the most productive use of their in-flight time. Simply being airborne can no longer be an obstacle to online access and we are pleased to rollout this feature for our customers.”

Avantair has selected the ATG 5000 communications system made by Aircell, the world’s leading provider of inflight connectivity. The ATG 5000 covers the full continental U.S. above 10,000 feet AGL and portions of Alaska. The system provides fast mobile broadband connection speeds via a seamless nationwide network of ground stations. Its superior connection makes it easy for users to download files with attachments, access VPNs, surf the Internet and talk on the phone at the same time.

“The Avantair family is very excited to provide this new technology that will make our customers’ digital lives seamless from the tarmac to 41,000 feet,” added Santo.

Adding Wi-Fi for passengers follows another recent advancement for Avantair. The company recently received FAA approval for usage of electronic flight bags (EFBs) for flight crews. Avantair is equipping its flight crews with Apple iPad 2s as their EFBs, which will allow the pilots to eliminate cumbersome charts and manuals and simply replace them with the technologically enhanced tablets that allow for real time updates. This is yet another first for the company and another way to make Avantair even more “green” by going paperless.

About Avantair

Avantair, the sole North American provider of fractional shares, leases and flight time cards in the Piaggio Avanti aircraft, and the only publicly traded stand-alone private aircraft operator, is headquartered in Clearwater, FL, with more than 500 employees. The Company offers private travel solutions for individuals and businesses traveling within its service area, which includes the continental U.S., parts of Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership. The Company currently manages a fleet of 57 aircraft. For more information about Avantair, please visit: www.avantair.com.