New ARINC Check-In System, vMUSE Enterprise^SM, Streamlines San Juan Opening for Virgin Atlantic

Annapolis, Maryland—Airlines normally need months of preparation to launch passenger service at a new airport. Installation of check-in workstations, dedicated phone lines, servers, server testing, and software configuration can require weeks of work at the site.

But when Virgin Atlantic launched its scheduled service from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in late 2009, the airline’s employees simply wheeled in five laptops and printers to San Juan International Airport, and plugged them in. Within minutes, they were checking in passengers for the first flight.

This rapid service launch was made possible by a new check-in system, vMUSE Enterprise^SM, developed by ARINC in cooperation with Virgin Atlantic. The system is a “virtual processing” solution, relying on an ARINC processing center instead of local hardware to run check-in and boarding applications. This dramatically reduces the on-site hardware and allows check-ins to be deployed on inexpensive laptops or simple terminals. The system will be demonstrated at PTE Expo 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, March 23-25, and at IATA’s “Wings of Change” in Santiago, Chile, March 24-25.

“From the point of view of price, efficiency, and speed of deployment, the new ARINC vMUSE Enterprise check-in system is clearly a winner for us, providing Virgin Atlantic with a robust solution from a supplier with a proven track record in the portable check in technology market,” said David Wilding, Airport IT Business Partner at Virgin Atlantic.

Mike Picco, ARINC Vice President, Airport Systems, said, “Virgin Atlantic was one of the first airlines to use our earlier generation of portable check-ins. Their helpful suggestions contributed greatly to the design of vMUSE Enterprise—specifically, making initial deployment as simple as possible, and minimizing the effort in software updates.”

With vMUSE Enterprise users can realize space savings, power savings, and reduced up-front capital costs as well as lower operation and maintenance costs due to the near elimination of on-site infrastructure. Despite the savings in cost vMUSE Enterprise delivers common-use capabilities similar to full-size, server-based terminal installations or CUTE systems. It can be deployed in minutes in the airport lobby or off-airport locations, making it ideal for small and seasonal airports, parking terminals, rental car facilities, transit stations, and overflow use.

Virgin Atlantic was founded in 1984, and it operates 38 long-haul services to destinations worldwide as far apart as Las Vegas and Shanghai. Virgin Atlantic has enjoyed huge popularity, winning top business, consumer, and trade awards from around the world. The airline has pioneered a range of innovations setting new standards of service, which its competitors have subsequently sought to follow. Despite Virgin Atlantic’s growth, the service still remains customer driven with an emphasis on value for money, quality, fun, and innovation. For more information, visit the web site at www.virgin-atlantic.com.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

Release: 10-008

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