United Airlines Completes Verizon Airfone JetConnect Installation on Entire Domestic Fleet
Posted: 11/11/2003 10:08:21 PM
News Release
Fleet Serves More Destinations than any other U.S. Commercial Carrier
CHICAGO, Nov. 10 - United Airlines and Verizon Airfone today announced that the first U.S. commercial carrier to offer Verizon Airfone JetConnect(SM) service has completed installation of this inflight email and instant messaging connectivity. United Airlines now has the largest installed fleet, serving more destinations than any other U.S. commercial carrier.
"JetConnect Service is another example of United serving the inflight needs of our customers," said John Tague, executive vice-president - Customer, United Airlines. "Regardless of where our customers and passengers happen to be, they increasingly expect the information and entertainment choices available to them inflight to be as instantaneous as they are on the ground."
With nearly 1500 domestic flights a day, thousands of passengers are already using JetConnect to stay connected while inflight. Customers access JetConnect by plugging their laptops into jacks on the Verizon Airfone handsets. No software downloads or changes to connection procedures are required. Customers just use their standard dial-up routine to link to JetConnect.
"By focusing on the business traveler's productivity, JetConnect is the smart communication choice that meets the needs of frequent travelers. Feedback from passengers has been positive," said Bill Pallone, President, Verizon Airfone. "For example, a recent passenger sent this email:
'Wow. What an amazingly useful service. I've been chatting with my
employees throughout the flight and getting valuable work done from 30,000
feet. JetConnect completely changes what I can accomplish while on a cross
country flight.'
Business travelers have come to expect this level of connectivity while inflight and JetConnect is delivering it for a great value," added Pallone.
JetConnect gives customers access to a wide variety of email accounts, including all Microsoft Exchange 5.5 and 2000 Outlook Web-Enabled Accounts (OWA), POP3, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail accounts. Inflight e-mail is enabled by software provided by Seattle-based Tenzing Communications.
United Airlines participated in service trials of JetConnect's email feature in May of this year and has offered JetConnect service on select 767 domestic aircraft since December 2002.
Product Overview
JetConnect with Email
$15.98 per flight
Send and receive an unlimited number of e-mail messages per flight. Data
in excess of 5kB (kilobyte) per message and attachments incur a cost of
ten cents per kB. Includes all JetConnect features.
JetConnect:
$5.99 per flight
Instant Messaging, one-way text messaging, updated weather, national,
international and business news, sports, and stock listings, games, over
100 city guides and airline information
About United Airlines
In 2002, United's employees broke 35 company records and achieved the best overall operational performance in the company's 77-year history. United Airlines finished 2002 ranked No. 1 in the industry in domestic on-time performance, according to the official U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer report. United operates more than 1,700 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's website at www.united.com.
About Verizon Airfone
Verizon Airfone, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, began offering commercial service in 1984 with the introduction of the first cordless air-to- ground telephone system. Airfone installed the first seatback telephone in 1987, and the company deployed a nationwide, end-to-end digital system starting in 1993. Verizon Airfone introduced JetConnect(SM) - the inflight Email, instant messaging and text messaging service in 2002.
