Aircell Appoints Michael Small as President and CEO

ITASCA, Ill., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Aircell, the leading provider of airborne communications, announced the appointment of Michael J. Small to President and CEO of the company.  Ron LeMay, current President and CEO, will return to the position of Chairman of the Board previously held prior to July 24, 2009.  

Mr. Small is a 29-year veteran of the communications industry, having recently served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Centennial Communications Corporation.  Prior to joining Centennial, Mr. Small served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of 360 Degrees Communications Company from 1995 to 1998.  Prior to 1995, he served as President of Lynch Corporation, a diversified acquisition-oriented company with operations in telecommunications, manufacturing and transportation services.  

"Aircell represents a great opportunity for me to lead a rapidly growing communications company that will revolutionize inflight connectivity and entertainment," commented Michael Small.  "I am excited to take on this role working with a talented team of people to build on and extend the success Aircell has achieved."

Regarding Mr. Small's appointment, Mr. LeMay said, "We are very fortunate to have Michael lead Aircell.  I have known him for nearly 20 years and consider him to be the ideal candidate for this position.  Our timing was great -- Michael just completed a very successful sale of Centennial to AT&T and was looking for his next challenge.  In my role as Chairman, I will work closely with Michael to ensure continued success."  Reflecting on the last seven months running Aircell, LeMay continues, "I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as President and CEO of Aircell.  The team has accomplished a great deal and has created a strong foundation for future expansion."

Over the past year, Aircell has steadily increased the daily number of airplanes deployed with Gogo® Inflight Internet service, and today is providing service on more than 717 commercial aircraft, with commitments from a total of nine airlines. Aircell recently crossed its two millionth customer milestone and is poised to continue its accelerated growth into the future.

Jack Blumenstein, current Chairman, will continue to serve on the board.  Regarding Mr. Blumenstein, Mr. LeMay stated, "Jack and I have been great partners throughout the company's history.  Aircell is thankful for all of Jack's leadership in the early stages of its development."

About Aircell

Aircell® is the world's leading provider of airborne communications.  As winner of an exclusive FCC frequency license in 2006, Aircell has built a revolutionary mobile broadband network for commercial and business aviation. In 2008, the Aircell Network and its inflight portal, Gogo®, revolutionized the commercial airline passenger flight experience by delivering a robust Internet experience at 35,000 feet.  In addition, the Aircell Network provides airlines with connectivity to operations and a path to enhanced cabin services such as video, audio, television and more.  A similar feature set is available to Business aircraft operators.  Aircell has facilities in Broomfield, Colorado, and Itasca, Illinois.  Aircell's vision is to give everyone the ability to stay in touch, in flight®.  For more information about Aircell, please visit www.aircell.com.

About Gogo

Gogo®, powered by Aircell, turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot with true inflight Internet access.  Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, can surf the Web, check e-mail, instant message, access a corporate VPN and more.  For more information about Gogo, please visit www.gogoinflight.com.

© 2010 Aircell LLC.  Aircell, Gogo and in touch, in flight are trademarks of Aircell or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

SOURCE Aircell