Geneva - On Friday 19 September, the first Qantas A380 left Airbus’ Toulouse headquarters en route for Sydney, via Singapore. Onboard were not only media and Qantas VIPs, but also OnAir’s connectivity services, offering its A380 passengers OnAir’s Webchat and Webmail inflight services. When the plane enters commercial service between Melbourne and Los Angeles on 20 October, passengers in all 450 seats will be able to use their seat-back inflight entertainment screen, or their own laptop, to access OnAir Webmail and Webchat*. The service will be upgraded to include full live internet connectivity as soon as Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband satellite service is available in the Pacific region, which is expected later in 2009*. Qantas is the first airline to offer connectivity on an A380, reflecting their reputation for excellence and innovation in customer service. Passengers will be able to access their web-based email, including Gmail and Hotmail, to pick up and send messages, including attachments, during the flight. They can also chat with friends and family using instant messaging accounts such as Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.

Benoit Debains, CEO of OnAir, said, “We are very pleased that Qantas has chosen OnAir’s connectivity services for this prestigious aircraft. It is also a great honour for OnAir to be the first passenger communications service provider on the A380. It demonstrates once again that we are the leading provider in the market with our inflight mobile services being deployed on four continents.”
 
* subject to regulatory approval

About OnAir
OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by Airbus and SITA, the aviation IT experts.

OnAir’s goal is to give airline passengers the ability to communicate from the sky. The OnAir service portfolio addresses passenger voice and data communications needs on both long- and short-haul flights, on Airbus, Boeing and business aircraft, with Airbus KID-Systeme acting as the integrator of the onboard systems required to access the OnAir services. OnAir focuses on passengers’ needs, offering choice, and ensuring an economically viable business model for airlines. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for SwiftBroadband services.

Source: OnAir
For further information about OnAir, click here