TEMPE, Ariz., March 29, 2010 — Today, US Airways (NYSE: LCC) launched a new wireless Internet product, Gogo® Inflight Internet, on five of its Airbus A321 aircraft. Gogo, which is provided by Aircell, allows passengers to use their laptops or Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices to surf the Web, email friends and family, log into corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and access online entertainment options.

By June 1, all 51 A321s in US Airways’ fleet will be Gogo-equipped. As Wi-Fi is installed on each aircraft between now and June, a Wi-Fi symbol on the outside of the plane at the boarding door will alert passengers that Gogo is available on their flight. The symbol will also appear throughout the cabin next to the seat and row number, and seatback cards will provide instructions on how to access the service. Beginning in late June, US Airways’ passengers will be able to determine if Wi-Fi is available on their flight when they book travel on usairways.com.

Here’s how it works: At 10,000 feet, US Airways’ flight attendants will make an announcement that passengers can enable their Wi-Fi devices. Passengers can connect to the service by turning on their laptop or mobile device, looking for and connecting to the ‘gogoginflight’ Wi-Fi signal, launching their Web browser, creating a profile and paying for their session with a major credit card.

“Gogo fits in perfectly with our business model by offering more choices in flight,” said Andrew Nocella, senior vice president, marketing and planning for US Airways. “Our customers are able to be more productive with their time and have new ways to stay entertained in the air.”

“We are pleased to announce US Airways’ deployment of Gogo, and we look forward to providing US Airways with in flight Internet access to enhance their customers’ travel experience,” said Michael Small, Aircell’s president and chief executive officer. “The ability to remain connected to the ground at 30,000 feet provides a significant improvement to the airline travel experience. As travelers throughout the country come to expect in flight Internet service, we are thrilled to be able to deliver this experience to US Airways and their passengers.”

To introduce Gogo, US Airways is allowing customers the chance to try it for free. From March 29 through June 1, first-time Gogo users will get one free session when they create their profile. US Airways will celebrate the completion of its fleet installation by offering free Gogo access to everyone who flies on a Wi-Fi equipped US Airways flight from June 1 through June 8. For more information, visit www.usairways.com/gogo.

*Gogo Inflight Internet is not available internationally. If you’re flying to/from an international city, the service will only be available while over the contiguous 48 U.S. states and within 100 miles of its borders. For more information visit www.usairways.com/gogo.

Lumexis Corporation reports that US Airways trial of its Fiber-To-The-Screen™ (FTTS™), now in its tenth week is proving both extremely popular with users and exceptionally reliable during its highly anticipated airline operational evaluation. The system was installed on an Airbus A320 aircraft in January and approved for Part 121 operation under FAA STC. It has been flying since early March and has now accumulated some 275 flights and over 1,000 hours of operation during regular revenue service.

Lumexis ™ CEO Doug Cline reports that the aircraft has been flying between Orange County, Phoenix, Atlanta and back daily with no system failures. “I have been manufacturing major avionics systems for over thirty years and this is without a doubt the most impressive record for a sophisticated new system entering service. We have never delayed a single flight and have never even required a system reboot” he marvels. “That is truly unprecedented for any high performance, multi-user AVOD system. As a result of this achievement, a number of airlines have had key managers on the aircraft and we are currently in negotiations with several of them for future installations.”

Cline continued that “The Lumexis ™ system is built around an advanced Fiber Optic Technology which is far simpler than legacy AVOD systems offered by other IFE manufacturers. This extensive flight demonstration evidences that the architecture’s fewer boxes and much lower parts count yield an inherently more reliable system.”

Lumexis ™ is a manufacturer and marketer of Inflight Entertainment and eCommerce Systems located in Costa Mesa, California, adjacent to Orange County Airport. The company can be contacted through its website, www.lumexis.com , by email at sales@lumexis.com or by telephone at +1.714.641.4900.

TEMPE, Ariz. and COSTA MESA, Calif., March 9, 2009– US Airways (NYSE: LCC) and Lumexis Corporation have partnered to test an innovative, next generation in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. On certain flights, US Airways customers will have access to hundreds of on-demand IFE options including movies, music, games and shopping.

What makes Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen™(FTTS™) the next generation system when compared to current IFE solutions is its advanced fiber optic technology, which requires less hardware and reduces the system’s weight by as much 50 percent. The Lumexis technology replaces traditional copper wire-based systems that were heavy, offered limited bandwidth and required under-seat boxes that reduced passenger leg room. The FTTS™ system substantially reduces the overall cost of ownership by lowering acquisition cost, minimizing spares provisioning, reducing fuel burn (from lower weight) and decreasing repair/maintenance costs (from simpler architecture). It also has the ability to provide HD quality content.

Customers can find themselves in the middle of a rock concert at 35,000 feet when they tune into Bon Jovi: Live from London (US Airways asks that passengers refrain from body surfing while the seat belt sign is illuminated) or young travelers (and those that are young at heart) can immerse themselves in an aquatic adventure with Finding Nemo.

Recently installed on a US Airways Airbus A320 and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operation during regular revenue flights, the system will be available for passenger use on a flight trial that begins today. The installation was designed and overseen by Inflight Canada, and FAA certification was accomplished through Aero Certification & Engineering.

Lumexis’ robust IFE system will offer US Airways’ customers more than 250 hours of content with 227 entertainment options including: 30 movies ranging from family fun to action-packed, 86 entertaining and educational television programs, four audio books, 100 music CDs with musical programming available for even the most discerning fan and seven games. Customers can choose their on-demand entertainment through an intuitive seat-back touch screen and pay using a debit or credit card in the seat-back unit.

The aircraft will primarily fly between Santa Ana, Calif., Phoenix and Atlanta. Tray table liners with instructions on how to use the system, specially trained flight attendant product experts and a Lumexis representative will be available on all flights to assist customers and US Airways flight attendants working the flight. A survey is included in the system to allow customers to provide input on the types of entertainment they prefer and how the system can be enhanced.

US Airways’ Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning, Andrew Nocella said, “US Airways is proud to have contributed to the development of the Lumexis system. During the flight trial we plan to learn more about the types of programming our customers want and how they want to pay for them. We’ll be testing bundled pay-per-use and a la carte pay-per-view options at different price points. Testing this system provides yet another option as we continue to expand our “pay for what you choose to use” business model. The data we’ll gather will also help us determine our long-term domestic in-flight entertainment plans.”

Douglas Cline, CEO of Lumexis added, “The IFE Industry was introduced to superior performance and ease of using FTTS™ at the World Airline Entertainment Association Convention in Long Beach, Calif. last year. As a result, airlines and aircraft manufacturers around the world will be closely following this first-ever deployment of a fully fiber optic-based network. The Lumexis team is delighted to be getting airborne with US Airways and to working with its cabin crews and passengers during the trial.”
About Lumexis

Lumexis Corporation is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of advanced In-Flight Entertainment and Communication Systems built on a core competency in fiber optic technology. With headquarters adjacent to Orange County, California’s John Wayne Airport, the company may be reached at +1.714.641.4900 or on the Web at www.lumexis.com.

About US Airways

US Airways was America’s number one on-time airline in 2008 among the “Big Six” hub-and-spoke airlines according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,100 flights per day and serves 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. The airline employs nearly 34,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers our customers more than 16,500 daily flights to 912 destinations in 159 countries worldwide. And for the tenth consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its Charlotte, North Carolina hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit usairways.com. (LCCG)

Wow, the Internet has been buzzing about the Lumexis install on US Airways A320 demo plane. We have been getting unsolicited input from our spy network and we thought our readers would like to get up to speed. 

Firstly, the Lumexis fiber optic system has been installed on airplane T/N 680 in Rome, New York. With work beginning on Jan. 5, 2009 it took some 23 days to complete it. All seats have been equipped for a total of 150 stations. A FAA flight test was performed last week. Insiders state that installation supplier, Inflight Canada, exclaimed that Lumexis is the easiest retrofit of this level of system they have ever performed!  One source noted that one of the installers said that with a bit of pre-installation effort on “A” checks, planes like A330’s and A340’s could be retrofitted in 7 days! Think about it, cable placement has been made a lot easier because of the complete disregard for EMI/RFI issues – cable placement and noise are a thing of the past because of the under floor seat boxes and dedicated cable “tubes”.  

We also understand that Inflight Canada designed the iCache system, which uses a patented beam (stringer) grabber that greatly did away with the drilling, rivets and sealing used in normal mechanical installs, and yes, we asked our spies about the fiber optic cable installation in the seats. It seems Smallhorn went to the Canadian Military to get smart on these processes and we hear they got a real education. The military uses a lot of fiber and has developed a skill set with this technology. This probably contributed to the easy seat modification that ensued. The system needed no special ATE or test equipment… they plugged in cables and it worked! About the only note we feel should be made is with respect to weight. While the Lumexis system itself is probably the lightest installed, full capability in-flight entertainment system, the added boxes and tubes of the full installation package no doubt raised the final number. 

The Inflight Canada and Lumexis folks aren’t talking but we think there is another North American customer in the works. As soon as the final DCN’s are submitted and approved, the system will be certified to fly un-placarded and powered up with passengers. We hear the plane is in service today, flying out of Phoenix. Additionally, we understand a full offering is planned for each seat when in service. Specially trained flight attendants will explain and promote the system to passengers. Pax usage data is to be downloaded to the airline’s operations center after landing. The EV-DO, cellular-based Secure Data Bridge facility (cell phone network) that supports the data gathering was tested during the FAA-mandated verification flight. We understand it worked extremely well and may be the new standard of data IFE download (Yes, we know it is not new). 

Here is a great blog for more insider stuff:�
http://www.usaviation.com/forums/index.php?s=05b9be18f7bb021586142309f44e477a&showtopic=44898

We may eat, sleep, and breath In-Flight Entertainment here at IFExpress central, but sometimes our industry problems are simply lost in the events of the times. This is one of those times… at least here in the US. As aviation, and a heckuva lot of other industries, take a nosedive, there are forces at work that promise to build a better world – aviation not withstanding. Recent events in New York may be the poster child of things to come. Seeing all those passengers standing on the wings of an A320 surrounded by first responders looked like the most one could make out of a really bad day flying. Actually, that imagery may be the beginning of some good news, badly needed. An airplane loss good news? More on that later. 

No doubt, the forthcoming economic experiences will be humbling. The effects on all of us will be more taxes, more stress, more headaches, more loss, and if we are lucky, more hope. While we all tighten our belts in expectation of the forthcoming year, it has to be worth the cost if we can see the possibility of a better future, a cleaner environment and a healthier aviation industry… a couple of years down the road (US Economy 2.0). From the airline point of view, recent fuel increases have created leaner airlines. Ones not necessarily in tune with passenger needs, but airlines that can survive lean times. 

From the perspective of US citizens, we know there is going to be more donation of personal time and personal contribution to our neighborhoods, our economy and our environment. This will be true, to one degree or another, in almost all other countries and while crappy slogans like “we feel your pain” are better left for soap operas, one could say it applies here. Moreover, we tried to think of a positive message to send out to our readers like the Chinese proverb used in the Hot Topic title. Euphemistically, it could be considered a curse as well, but as one might expect, no Chinese person has ever been accorded the attribution of the saying. So in that vein, we have to consider that current events, while interesting, might be starting to take a turn for the better! Hey, perhaps the glass is half full?

As we mentioned earlier, note should be made of a recent aviation incident in the US, the US Airways Flight 1549.  We wanted to acknowledge the airplane – the Airbus A320. While the obvious heroes of the stricken flight are unquestionably the captain, crew, and first responders, the durable little plane from Airbus endured a landing on water, deployed chutes and rafts, supported passengers and crew on its floating metal fuselage and wings, while generally acting as an aluminum life raft for some 156 people. This did not go unnoticed by us and we offer a tip-o-the-hat to all the professionals at Airbus and US Airways who build, support, fly, and maintain such a fine product.  

http://www.neatorama.com/2009/01/18/simulated-cockpit-view-of-us-airways-hudson-river-landing