Gogo Inflight Internet and GroundLink Team Up to Offer the 'WiFi and Drive' Package

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Aug 10, 2010, 09:00 ET

ITASCA, Ill., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, the easiest and most affordable way for travelers to arrange ground transportation from the airport might be in the air, from the comfort of their seat at 30,000 feet. Aircell, the world's leading provider of inflight connectivity, has partnered with GroundLink, the world's largest marketplace for all forms of ground travel services, to enable passengers to book ground transportation while in flight through Aircell's Gogo® Inflight Internet. Aside from excellent vehicles and prices that in some cases are less than a local taxi company, GroundLink, through its LimoRes retail brand, will give a free Gogo Inflight Internet session to any passenger that books a car from the sky. The "WiFi and Drive" package is now available across the Gogo network of airlines.

Airline passengers can simply visit the Gogo portal during their flight, and then follow a link for ground reservations in their destination city. Passengers do not need to purchase a Gogo session to access the LimoRes.com site to take advantage of this offer.

Once a vehicle is booked, customers instantly receive a code for their free Gogo Inflight Internet session, which can be used immediately or on a future Gogo-enabled flight. The offer of a free Gogo session can also be claimed by LimoRes.com customers who arrange ground transportation from the ground.

The new partnership with GroundLink represents a great value for busy travelers, says Dave Bijur, VP, Partnerships at Aircell. "We're excited to find a partner that not only has great cars, prices and service, but also one whose offer to busy travelers is greatly enhanced with a free Gogo session," he said. "Our 'Wifi and Drive' package is a great value. In addition to arranging ground transportation, Aircell's technology can turn Gogo into a highly targeted and destination-specific e-commerce engine for travelers."

"As a company that is committed to reinventing Ground Travel, GroundLink is thrilled to partner with Gogo. We are in the process of rolling out Wi-Fi in all of our cars throughout the country and, with this partnership, our customers will be able to stay connected on their way to the airport, in the air with Gogo and back on the ground when they are on the way to their final destination. Indeed, for the first time, a day of traveling will no longer mean a day of being unproductive and offline," said S. Daniel Leon, GroundLink's Vice President of Strategy, Corporate and Business Development.

Today, Gogo is available on nearly 1,000 commercial aircraft and over 3,500 daily flights in the Continental U.S. The service will continue to roll out on additional routes and airline partners throughout 2010 and beyond. With Gogo, passengers with wireless devices can browse the Web; access online music, games and podcasts; send and receive e-mail; and connect to virtual private networks while flying. The easy-to-use service provides passengers with full Internet access on any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device at speeds similar to wireless mobile broadband services on the ground.

Groundlink's technology, which powers LimoRes, provides ground transportation service anywhere in the world from a single account. The company is committed to bringing ground transportation into the digital age by enabling all of its vehicles with WiFi. Working with Gogo is the perfect way for LimoRes customers to remain connected while traveling.

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. You can also follow 'gogoInflight' on Twitter (www.twitter.com/gogoinflight) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/gogoinflight).

About GroundLink

GroundLink is a travel technology company that aggregates, manages and executes limousine, taxi, shuttle, car-rental & public transportation services worldwide. Through retail websites, mobile apps, APIs and a proprietary marketplace, GroundLink provides individuals, corporations and partners with a single booking and reservation system for all forms of transportation, worldwide under one-account. With over 45,000 affiliates, millions of transactions per year, and partnerships with major airlines and online travel agencies, GroundLink is the only true marketplace to seamlessly connect supply and demand for the ground travel industry worldwide.

About LimoRes

LimoRes.net, powered by GroundLink, is a ground transportation service operating in more than 172 countries and 5,000 airports worldwide. Its online limousine reservation system provides real-time prices and one bill for more than 14 different vehicle service classes and in four different service levels. For more information, please visit www.limores.com.