Aircell offers Gogo on nine of the 11 major U.S. airlines and on nearly 6,000 business aircraft. The financing will be used to fund growth in both commercial and business aviation markets.

“2010 was the year Inflight Internet went mainstream and Aircell established its leadership in this exciting new mobile Internet venue," said Michael Small, Aircell President and CEO.  

"Since securing our exclusive spectrum license in 2006, we’ve raised more than $500M."

Existing investors include Ripplewood Holdings, a major private equity group, Blumenstein/Thorne Information Partners and other investment entities associated with investor/entrepreneur Oakleigh Thorne.

In 2011, Aircell expects to increase its base of installed aircraft by an average of three per day in the airline market. Gogo is available on all AirTran Airways, Virgin America and mainline Delta Air Lines flights; as well as flights operated by Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways, with service on Frontier Airlines expected to begin shortly.

In partnership with Ford, Gogo is offering free Facebook access on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America.

"Facebook continues to be the number one website visited by travelers using Gogo at 30,000 feet," said Aircell Chief Revenue Officer, Jim Berrien.

"Our commitment is to offer great inflight experiences to our users, and unique marketing opportunities to advertisers.”

When the plane has reached 10,000 feet and people are allowed to turn on electronic devices, they can visit the Gogo wireless network, open their browser and click on the Ford/Facebook banner.

The service is available to users on all Wi-Fi enabled devices, including laptops, smartphones and PDAs.

People flying on AirTran, Delta or Virgin America between November 20, 2010 and January 2, 2011 will have free Wi-Fi on any of their domestic flights.

“We are constantly working to help provide a better web experience to users around the world,” said Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management at Google.

“Whether it be building a better browser with Chrome or bringing free Wi-Fi to air travelers this holiday season, we are constantly innovating to ensure users’ access to the web is fast, simple and seamless.”

As the three airlines that have outfitted their entire domestic fleet with in-flight Wi-Fi, this promotion will bring free Internet service to more than 700 planes and approximately 15 million expected passengers this holiday season.

This season marks the second straight year that Google has provided free Wi-Fi to travelers over the holiday season. Last year, Google worked with Virgin America as well as more than 50 airports to provide free Internet both on the ground and in the air.

The Gogo Monthly Subscription is aimed at frequent fliers and is available for $34.95 each month. Aircell says the service automatically renews each month.

"Building on the strong demand for our existing 30-Day product, frequent flyers are telling us that they want a single pass that provides a seamless and convenient way to stay connected across all Gogo equipped airlines," said Michael Small, Aircell’s President and CEO. 

Users can purchase the Gogo Monthly Subscription via the inflight portal. After registering, users will have Internet access on all Gogo equipped flights. The number of airplanes that are Gogo equipped stands at more than 800.

Gogo Monthly Subscription will initially be available on AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Delta, and Virgin America. Aircell says those airlines have a high percentage of their fleets equipped with Gogo.

Aircell’s goal is to offer airline passengers a variety of pricing options. The company will still offer Gogo passes for single flights starting at $4.95.

Gogo is currently available on all AirTran and Virgin America flights and on some Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, US Airways and United flights. Later in 2010, Gogo will be available on Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines.

From November 10 to January 15, 2010, passengers on all Virgin America flights will be able to access email, shop online and visit social networks free of charge. In May Virgin became the first airline to offer Gogo Inflight Internet service on every flight.

"Since the launch of WiFi on all of our planes, we’ve seen an overwhelmingly positive response from travelers," said Porter Gale, Vice President of Marketing at Virgin America.

"We’ve found that both business and leisure travelers are using the service at a growing rate, and many consider the availability of in-flight WiFi one of the key factors in their booking decision."

Marissa Mayer, Google
VP of Search Products
and User Experience

Virgin estimates that currently 12-15 percent of its passengers are using the Gogo service. On some of the airline’s long-haul routes, the carrier is reporting that up to 20-25 percent of passengers are using the Gogo service.

Highlights of a recent Virgin America survey include:

•  More than half of respondents said that the availability of WiFi would influence their choice of airline.
•  The availability of in-flight power outlets is also a factor for many in choosing to fly with Virgin America.
•  72% agreed that VOIP should continue to be blocked to keep the cabin environment quiet.
•  53% of respondents carry a laptop on board.  Of those that connected to Gogo, 88% used a laptop.
•  Email is the most popular activity while using in-flight WiFi, followed by working remotely and social media.

"As millions of people pass through airports this holiday season in order to celebrate with their families, we wanted to give our users a gift – one that makes their travel easier and more convenient," said Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience at Google.

"The fundamental power of the Internet is in connecting people, and we hope that having a free WiFi connection while enroute will make home and family seem that much closer."

The discount carrier is partnering with Aircell to offer passengers inflight Internet service on its entire fleet of Boeing 737 and 717 aircraft. AirTran says all 136 of its jets will be equipped with Gogo Inflight Internet service by mid-summer.

Bob Fornaro

"Installing Wi-Fi on every one of our aircraft is another great example of what sets AirTran Airways apart from our competitors," said Bob Fornaro, chairman, president and CEO of AirTran Airways.

"Giving business and leisure travelers a consistent, high-quality experience at a low price is a top priority. We feel that Wi-Fi on every flight gives us a distinct competitive advantage over other airlines."

Passengers on AirTran will have access to email, instant messaging, and corporate networks via Wi-Fi enabled laptops, smartphone and PDAs. Inflight Internet will be available for a small fee based on the length of the flight.

According to Aircell’s website, passengers with handheld devices can have Internet access for $7.95. Laptop users can connect for $9.95 on flights lasting less than three hours and for $12.95 on flights over three hours. 

Other airlines that offer Aircell’s Gogo Internet service include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin America.
 

American first launched the in-flight Internet service last August on 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft on nonstop flights between New York JFK and San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.

American says it will install the Aircell system on its MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft fleets, beginning with 150 MD-80 aircraft this year.

Daniel P. Garton

"Our trial over the past six months offered customers the choice to remain connected to work, home or elsewhere when flying on American Airlines," said Dan Garton, American’s Executive Vice President-Marketing

"And it also gave us the ability to study customers’ willingness to take advantage of high-speed, onboard connectivity and to gauge how the service performed technically in a variety of settings over an extended period of time. We are pleased that the results were positive and that we have decided to move forward."

Aircell charges between $7.95 and 12.95 to use the service depending on the length of the flight.

Other airlines that offer in-flight Internet with Aircell include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin America.

United will be using Aircell’s Gogo Inflight Internet service which will allow customers to surf the Web, check email, and send instant messages. The service will be available to customers traveling in all classes for a flat fee of $12.95.

Jack Blumenstein
Aircell president

"I can’t think of a better way for Aircell to usher in 2009 as the year of Inflight Internet than by announcing our partnership with United," said Jack Blumenstein, Aircell president & CEO.

"Forward-thinking airlines like United are putting the power of Gogo in their passengers’ hands and reaping the revenue and customer loyalty benefits that it brings."

United says that Gogo will initially be available on 13 of its Boeing 757 p.s. aircraft that fly between John F. Kennedy International Airport and California’s two largest airports – Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. Depending on customer feedback United and Aircell will consider additional rollout plans.

Aircell currently provides its inflight Internet service to American, Delta, Virgin American, and Air Canada.
 

The airline has announced that it is "marking the beginning of the next wireless revolution."  A bit overstated perhaps. They’re offering in-flight Internet access at $12.95 a flight.

Anyhow, this offering comes in light of a new deal American has made with Aircell for its mobile broadband service Gogo. The service is available immediately on cross-country flights in the U.S. over three hours for the above fee. American notes in a statement that cell phone and VoIP use is not included, but think of all the Twittering you can do!

The service should also inspire a great deal more productivity on business trips – a welcome alternative to listening to the guy beside you snore and working out emergency survival scenarios in your head when you don’t want to watch the latest Martin Lawrence comedy that is being offered on board.

On second thought, maybe "revolution" isn’t such an overstatement after all.  I expect that more airlines and service providers will be reaching similar deals in the near future, so stay tuned.

Google, Yahoo Sued By Tanzanian Tribesman

But if you’re a Tanzanian detained by the INS in Houston with some time on your hands (after all, the government makes it quite apparent that time is not only relative and nebulous, but its existence also questionable – unless you owe it money), you may have time to roll around the phonetic similarities between the names Google and Yahoo and the names of your ancestral tribes, Gogo and Yao.

After you’ve made that connection and still have some time to kill, you might file a lawsuit against both companies for stealing and profiting by the names of your ancestral heritage.

Mike Masnick at TechDirt has a copy of the lawsuit, demanding both companies pony up $10,000 per tribe member for the past three generations. It will be interesting to see how this one turns out…but only if goes the opposite way of how we think it will.

If I knew what happened to an old dorm-mate of mine, a Tanzanian named Mpoki, I’d ask him what he thought of the matter. I’d also ask him what happened to our off-balance Vietnamese buddy who, last I’d heard of him, had holed up in the Catholic Student Center, sneaking in and sleeping somewhere deep inside after the priest locked up for the night.

Ah, college.