Airtext was featured in the August 2020 issue of Aviation International News. They highlighted our in-flight text messaging used on private jets, as well as voice calls during flight.

You can read the full article online here:

New Year Ushers in Cabin and Connectivity Improvements, by Matt Thurber

While new LEO satcom networks are coming, Iridium remains the network of choice for low-cost airborne connectivity. Although not yet speedy enough for web-browsing and movie streaming, Iridium does provide true worldwide coverage, something that higher-orbiting satellites like those of Inmarsat, Viasat, SES, and Intelsat aren’t able to offer (their coverage isn’t available over polar regions).

Our feature begins here:

SEND SOLUTIONS AIRTEXT

Send Solutions founder David Gray figured that most passengers and pilots are satisfied with being able to send and receive text messages and emails without attachments, if the price is significantly lower. The company’s Airtext systems do just that and are in use in everything from single-engine piston-powered light airplanes to the largest business jets.

Certified and installed Airtext units retail for $16,975, which includes voice calling via Iridium, or $9,750 for texting and email only. Send Solutions also sells portable Airtext units, with the voice-capable LT+ for $6,450 and the regular LT at $4,950. Service prices are $300 per year for the first 500 messages, then 5 cents per text. Gray said that some Airtext power users spend about $1,500 a year, which is far less than costs associated with higher-orbit satcom systems.

The article continues and highlights some of our special-purpose uses of Airtext, like the FBOLink service and our digital ATIS offering:

Airtext users can message FBOs for fuel and other requests using its FBOLink service. The messages are received at the FBOs via email, and FBOs can respond to the aircraft.

Pilots can access digital-ATIS via Airtext, eliminating the need to switch to an ATIS frequency to listen to the broadcast.

A new Airtext feature is seat-to-seat texting, handy during the pandemic for passengers to ask a question of flight crew, according to Gray, without having to visit the flight deck.

Thurber concludes the article with a mention of our popular new aircraft moving map product for private jets:

Send Solutions has also developed the Airtext map on the iPad. This displays a moving map for passengers to see flight plan and trip information, including points of interest. Bulkhead monitor versions are also available.

Conclusion

2020 has been a big year for Airtext. We’ve sold more units and rolled out many new features (with more on the way). It is an honor to be included in this roundup by AINonline.