SITA - OnAir receives Frost & Sullivan award
EUROPE (SITA) - International consultancy Frost & Sullivan has awarded in-flight passenger communications provider, OnAir, with its 2005 Award for Airline & Passenger Focused Strategy. Frost & Sullivan cited an affordable and consistent consumer experience and an ability to minimise airline investment and operating costs as the most significant factors in winning the award.
Dr. Binny Prabhakar, Frost & Sullivan Global Program Manager, Commercial Aerospace, was particularly impressed with OnAir's business model and said, "We believe that the OnAir value proposition will make airlines more amenable to providing voice and data communications services for passengers across their entire fleets."
Deployment of OnAir's GSM- and GPRS-based mobile data and voice services is expected to commence in the second half of 2006 in the European short-haul market. The company has three Letters Of Intent from airlines, putting OnAir at the forefront of this emerging marketplace.
Dr. Prabhakar added, "Pricing of these services will be critical to uptake and penetration rates. We believe that OnAir's business strategy provides for the right service at the right stage of market growth and importantly, is setting industry standards for realistic end-user pricing."
OnAir, a joint venture with SITA INC and Airbus, will provide passengers with a full suite of data and voice communications services allowing them to carry on using their personal electronic devices (PEDs) during flights.
George Cooper, CEO of OnAir, said, "We are delighted with this award. From the outset, our priorities have been to deliver a service that meets the expectations of the travelling public and to deliver a rapid Return On Investment for our customers, the airlines. It is very gratifying to have these acknowledged by industry experts."
Other OnAir services are already available on many international airlines including Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, EVA Air, Iberia, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic.
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