GEE Unveils New App-Based Inflight Entertainment on Passenger Devices Aboard Air Transat
Airtime Content-to-Go Fulfills a Need Aboard Aircraft Currently Flying Without IFE
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., (Nasdaq:ENT) (“GEE”) a worldwide provider of aircraft connectivity systems, operations solutions and media content to the travel industry, today announced passengers aboard Air Transat’s Boeing 737 fleet are the first to enjoy its revolutionary app-based Airtime Content-to-Go inflight entertainment (IFE) service.
Named ‘Best North American Leisure Airline’ at the 2015 Skytrax annual World Airline Awards, Air Transat has chosen the breakthrough solution to quickly and efficiently deploy IFE across its growing fleet of narrow-body aircraft, which was serving both seasonal and year-round routes without an IFE platform. Air Transat now provides its passengers with a customized version of Airtime Content-to-Go, branded to the airline’s popular ‘CinePlus B’ entertainment offering.
Airtime Content-to-Go provides a fast-to-market inflight entertainment service that requires no installed hardware onboard the plane. Passengers download a mobile app and content pre-flight on their smartphones and tablets to enjoy a wide range of movies, TV shows and other entertainment choices during their flight. The solution features Hollywood-approved Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and integrates with an airline’s reservation system to securely manage content viewing windows. GEE’s extensive ground infrastructure enables passengers to browse and download content to their personal devices anywhere in the world.
Airtime Content-to-Go is part of GEE’s Airtime platform – a cutting-edge suite of IFE and connectivity solutions - which won this year’s Inflight Award for ‘Best Handheld or Wireless IFE system’. On the ground and in the air, Airtime enables airlines to connect with their passengers in a personalized way across numerous digital touch-points. The Airtime inflight portal is deployed on approximately 700 aircraft today and provides rich IFE and connectivity services. The Airtime app and lounge portals deepen customer engagement and extend the passenger experience beyond the cabin. Airtime Content-to-Go is a value-added service that works as a stand-alone app and can also quickly integrate into GEE’s comprehensive Airtime IFEC solution and/or an airline’s existing mobile presence.
“GEE’s Airtime Content-to-Go is a true breakthrough technology that enables us to effectively offer a great customizable passenger entertainment experience across a portion of our global fleet that until now had no IFE platform,” said Jean-Francois Lemay, General Manager, Air Transat. “GEE’s IFE service fulfills a real need in our global IFE strategy. This clever IFE app has enabled us to take our overall passenger experience to a whole new level virtually overnight.”
“Our new Airtime Content-to-Go solution was developed in collaboration with airlines across the globe that want to deliver a great passenger experience or better IFE consistency across their fleets,” explained Alexis Steinman, SVP of Digital Media Solutions for GEE. “A large portion of the world’s 21,000 passenger jets do not have seat-back IFE. Airtime Content-to-Go helps fill this void by delivering rich digital media – from movies and TV to e-publications and music – with the unprecedented flexibility that allows airlines such as Air Transat to elevate their passenger IFE experience like never before,” Steinman noted. “Airtime Content-to-Go is also the perfect stepping stone and complementary solution for airlines in pursuit of a comprehensive wireless IFE or connectivity strategy.”
About Air Transat
Air Transat is Canada's leading holiday travel airline. Every year, it carries some 3 million passengers to nearly 60 destinations in 30 countries aboard its fleet of Boeing narrow-body and Airbus wide-body jets. The company employs more than 2,500 people. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. Air Transat was named Best North American Leisure Airline at the Skytrax annual World Airline Awards, held in June 2015.
About Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE)
Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq:ENT) is a worldwide provider of aircraft connectivity systems, operations solutions and media content to the travel industry. Through the industry’s most comprehensive product and services platform, Global Eagle Entertainment provides airlines with a wide range of in-flight solutions. These include Wi-Fi, movies, television, music, interactive software, as well as portable IFE solutions, content management services, e-commerce solutions and original content development. Serving more than 200 airlines worldwide, Global Eagle Entertainment delivers exceptional quality and value to its customers to help them achieve their passenger experience objectives. The company’s headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California, with offices and teams located in North America, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Oceania and South America. Find out more at: www.geemedia.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
We make forward-looking statements in this press release. These forward-looking statements relate to expectations or forecasts for future events, including without limitation, our earnings, revenues, expenses or other future financial or business performance or strategies, or the impact of legal or regulatory matters on our business, results of operations or financial condition. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words "may," "might," "will," "will likely result," "should," "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "continue," "target" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date they were made, and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those risks and uncertainties described in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as amended, and subsequently filed reports on Form 10-Q, as amended. As a result, our actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
Contact: Jenelle Benoit Director, Marketing & Communications +1 310-321-6612 pr@geemedia.com Kevin Trosian Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations +1 310-740-8624 Investor.relations@geemedia.com
Released February 18, 2016