Global Eagle Launches Airline Industry’s Best, Low-Cost Wireless IFE Option for Airplanes Big and Small: Airconnect Go

LOS ANGELES, April 09, 2018 -- Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:ENT) announces the launch of the airline industry’s latest and best low-cost option for delighting passengers: wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) in an all-in-one portable video-on-demand solution that does not require installation: Airconnect Go.

New Airconnect Go Wireless IFE

Airconnect Go is the latest Global Eagle product in the Airconnect family of connectivity and inflight entertainment system hardware, and demonstrates Global Eagle’s commitment to provide solutions for all types of aviation customers and markets.

Airconnect Go combines a proven, reliable hardware system with Global Eagle’s award-winning Airtime services, including a proven portal passenger experience and entertainment packages with industry best movie, audio and video offerings. The product is so compact it can fit into the overhead bin of most commercial aircraft.

“Passengers are demanding quality in-flight entertainment, wherever they are, and Airconnect Go provides this on any flight, anywhere in the world,” said Global Eagle CEO Josh Marks. “Airconnect Go allows major airlines to continue great onboard passenger experiences when travelers switch to their regional partners and allows ULCC airlines the ability to add in-flight entertainment at a lower price point than installed AVOD systems.”

Airconnect Go is a low-cost option for airlines with no hardware to install, no Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) needed, and it is offered on simple commercial terms.  A few of the key features of Airconnect Go are its 15 hours of battery life while streaming concurrently to over 50 users, hot-swappable batteries to enable an even longer duty cycle and comprehensive analytics available via Global Eagle’s Airview reporting system. 

“Passengers can use their own device and quickly connect to Airconnect Go,” said Per Norén, Executive VP and Chief Commercial Officer of Global Eagle. “We are pleased to offer the ability to integrate our Airtime Player into an airline’s mobile app to enable playback of protected Hollywood content, in addition to monitoring customer usage and fine-tuning performance via our best of breed Airview analytics product.”

“Through our support of Apple Fairplay DRM technology, we can now deliver native playback of DRM content via the Safari browser on iOS and are working with Hollywood studios for the appropriate approvals, building on an environment where native playback was previously only possible on other leading browsers on Android and laptops,” Norén said.

The system streams content through Global Eagle’s flexible Airtime Portal that powers diverse passenger touchpoints and devices, and can be updated wirelessly through 4G/LTE cellular communications.

Global Eagle sees a strong market for Airconnect Go for regional airlines, airlines that need to quickly deploy IFE options for passengers, as well as for airlines with smaller or diverse fleets where permanent IFE might not be an immediate option.

About Global Eagle

Global Eagle is a leading provider of media, content, connectivity and data analytics to markets across air sea and land. Global Eagle offers a fully integrated suite of rich media content and seamless connectivity solutions for airlines, cruise lines, commercial ships, high-end yachts, ferries and land locations worldwide. With approximately 1,500 employees and 50 offices on six continents, the company delivers exceptional service and rapid support to a diverse customer base. Find out more at: GlobalEagle.com.

Media Contact: Michael Miller
[email protected]
+1-754-215-0101

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/a76d3735-3ab4-4b1e-a1d1-a9deee8a4a20