Virgin Atlantic Airways Contracts with ARINC for Onboard Wi-Fi Services.

Thursday 13th September 2012

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, September 13, 2012--ARINC Incorporated announced today that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Virgin Atlantic Airways to supply its new on-board Wi-Fi solution, Cabin Connect, to the airline.

Virgin Atlantic is the first customer to sign for the new offering and will introduce the service to its passengers on a trial basis on three Airbus A330 aircraft commencing in early 2013.

ARINC's Cabin Connect, formally launched last September at the annual Airline Passenger Experience conference and exhibition, enables airline passengers to access the Internet directly from their own personal electronic devices, whether laptop, smart phone, tablet, or gaming device. Users simply log on to the system through a hotspot portal to start using the service in-flight. Cabin Connect incorporates technological advances which, coupled with the enhanced bandwidth offered by Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, provide commercial carriers with a cost-effective and highly flexible option for cabin connectivity.

"We are especially delighted that Virgin Atlantic Airways, a long-term ARINC customer for more than 12 years, is the first company to confirm it will take Cabin Connect on trial. Virgin Atlantic Airways is an airline that is internationally recognized for its strong commitment to enhanced passenger communications and as such is a perfect fit to launch Cabin Connect," said Lee Costin, Director of ARINC's Satellite Solutions and Cabin Services.

Paul Sands, Head of Customer Experience for Virgin Atlantic adds, "Cabin Connect is an advanced and attractive offering from ARINC and we are delighted to be providing this service on some of our long-haul services in the New Year. It represents a strong value proposition made possible through the significant developments in SwiftBroadband technology."

ARINC and Virgin Atlantic have achieved success together previously on in-flight initiatives. In 2010, Virgin Atlantic pioneered ARINC's Live News content, a SwiftBroadband-enabled program that provides passengers with live audio content sent directly to the aircraft at regularly scheduled intervals.

By adopting Cabin Connect, airlines like Virgin can offer passengers Wi-Fi connectivity to the internet and communications products including seatback messaging, live news and retail portals, keeping them connected and informed at all times.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100:2009 Rev C certified. For more information, visit the web site at:

www.arinc.com.