Virgin America first airline to use new Gogo technology

PRNewswire

ITASCA — Virgin America announced it will be the first airline to offer Gogo’s next generation ATG-4 service.

Gogo’s ATG-4 service will significantly enhance the ATG network and improve aircraft Wi-Fi capacity to the plane by approximately four times the current performance through the addition of directional antenna, dual-modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies.

Virgin America was the first carrier to offer fleetwide Wi-Fi as of May 2009 via Aircell’s Gogo service. Known for its innovative amenities including power outlets at every seat, the airline regularly sees up to one-third of guests on its flights logged on to the popular Gogo service.

“As the only airline based in Silicon Valley our tech-forward guests have come to expect a fully connected in-flight experience on Virgin America,” said David Cush, president and CEO of Virgin America. “With Gogo’s new ATG-4 technology, we’re excited to see our longtime partner come to the table with a new offering that will further improve the speed and performance of in-flight Wi-Fi for our guests.”

Gogo’s ATG-4 service on Virgin America is scheduled for delivery on aircraft beginning in the first half of 2012.

The new platform is backward compatible and allows for upgrades to existing ATG systems through low cost retrofits.

“Gogo is committed to meeting the ever evolving connectivity needs of our airline partners,” said Michael Small, Gogo’s president and CEO. “ATG-4’s increased capacity is a perfect solution to meet Virgin America’s connectivity needs.   We will continue to develop and offer a suite of technology solutions for our airline partners, recognizing that this isn’t a one-size fits all market. Our experience has taught us the important lesson that multiple technologies will need to be deployed over time, and our solutions are built to accommodate changes in technology to meet the needs of every aircraft and mission — whether that’s through ATG, ATG-4 or satellite technologies.”