January 9, 2005 – LAST year was the most exciting in the recent history of the IFE/communications industry. It saw the operational debut of the first satellite broadband service, the launch of two onboard cellphone ventures, and the emergence of a range of lightweight inflight entertainment solutions. To mark these 12 momentous months, the Shephard Group will present the inaugural Inflight Awards at its IPEC/LARA joint conference in London on March 8.

The Awards will recognise excellence in three categories:

Airline IFE Service of the Year Airline IFE offerings like Emirates’ ICE, Virgin Atlantic’s v:port and SIA’s KrisWorld combine the power of interactive seat-mounted hardware, broadband cabin networks and satcoms links to give passengers a dazzling array of entertainment and communications choices. Here’s your chance to name your favourite.

IFE Product of the Year During 2004 several new hardware and software products were announced or entered service. Vote for the one you think most likely to have a lasting impact on the market.

Connectivity Provider of the Year Inflight short/instant messaging, email and genuine real-time Web and VPN access are now a reality for the airlines, and onboard cellphone is set for introduction soon. Name the provider who in your opinion contributed most in 2004 to realising the vision of useful, affordable connectivity for airline passengers.

The winner in each category will be selected on the basis of a free vote by Inflight Online readers. To cast your vote, go to http://shephard.info/ifvote.htm

As a thank-you for voting, we will enter you in our prize draw to win a Creative Labs MP3 player combining hours of digital audio with an FM radio. Closing date for votes is February 11.

A representative of the winning company in each Awards category will receive a handsome perpetual trophy at the IPEC/LARA Awards dinner on March 8.