TAM Airlines Now Offering OnAir's Mobile / Internet Inflight Connectivity

TAM Airlines is now offering inflight mobile communications through a partnership with OnAir.

Based on Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, the high-capacity service is available to passengers traveling aboard TAM's Airbus A321 operating between Guarulhos, Recife, Natal, Fortaleza and Porto Alegre.

Passengers can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages and access the Internet through GPRS networks from their own GSM handsets.

"With our Spirit to Serve, we are innovating once again to offer the best service. The demand of an onboard cellular was detected on researches with our passengers who wish to be connected to work, family and friends while traveling," said Manoela Amaro, TAM Airlines' Marketing Director.

TAM's service allows as many as eight passengers to make and receive calls simultaneously on a flight with no limits on data and text messaging. Mobile phones will work in exactly the same way as in international roaming and can be activated as soon as the aircraft reaches an altitude of 4,000 metres (13 thousand feet). Passengers can use their Smartphones onboard to access e-mails or surf the Internet and usage will be charged directly by the mobile network provider to the passenger's phone bill at rates set by his or her usual provider.

During takeoff passengers will be instructed to switch off their electronic devices. The system provides complete aircraft safety by preventing any interference between mobile phone signals, mobile infrastructures on the ground and the aircraft's commands. If necessary, the OnAir system can be turned off by the aircraft's crew at any time. It is important to note that, even if devices are inadvertently left on during landing and takeoff, they cannot interfere with the aircraft's systems.

Today, TAM has already installed the system onboard an Airbus A321 equipped with 220 seats. The company plans to equip more aircraft on domestic routes with the technology starting in 2011.

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