AT&T Wireless Services Aviation Communications Division Completes American Airlines Installation in Record Time; Digital Phone System Now Available Across All 260 MD80 Series Aircraft.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 1996--The Aviation Communications Division (ACD) of AT&T Wireless Services today announced that installation of digital passenger telephone systems on 260 American Airlines MD80 series aircraft has been completed.

The American Airlines MD80 fleet is the largest fleet of a single aircraft type in the world. AT&T ACD began installation on Sept. 21, 1995, and completed the 260th MD80 (Tall Number N218AA) 23 weeks later, on March 2, 1996.

"The American MD80 installation program was a rigorous test of logistics and technical coordination," said Bob Johnson, president of the Aviation Communications Division. "It is the best example I can point to in commercial aviation of airline-supplier teamwork by a group of highly motivated professionals from American and AT&T."

AT&T Wireless Services and American Airlines personnel worked closely in a complex coordination activity involving aircraft scheduling, maintenance planning and installation engineering. For a 10-week period, ACD installed digital telephones on three aircraft per night during aircraft layovers to achieve this record. "A single installation is very complicated," explained Bruce Wright, director of product services with the Aviation Communications Division.

"Seats are taken off the plane, modified, and installed with handsets. Distribution cabling must be run throughout the aircraft, and radio and telephony electronics are installed in the belly. Antennae are affixed to the undersides of the aircraft for communication with ground stations below, and electrical breakers and circuits must be added to the cockpit to support the system. These and myriad other activities are all accomplished in less than eight hours -- a standard aircraft layover. The number of installations completed in this time frame is really quite phenomenal."

"American Airlines has always been a leader in passenger services and, with this MD80 milestone, American now offers its passengers the most sophisticated communications technology in the industry," said Michael Gunn, senior vice president of marketing with American Airlines.

In addition to the MD80 fleet, American Airlines now has the AT&T digital telephone system installed on its F100, DC10, B757, B727 and B767 aircraft, with additional installations planned for 1996, totaling more than 600 aircraft. The AT&T ACD system will afford American Airlines passengers full-digital air-to-ground and ground-to-air voice and data communications, including fax/data capability on all American Airlines aircraft.

The Aviation Communications Division of AT&T Wireless Services owns and operates the largest digital air-to-ground telephone network in North America with more than 140 ground stations and has commercial contacts with every aviation satellite service supplier in the world.

Including American Airlines, AT&T Wireless Services has five domestic and eight international customers. Domestic carriers are Alaska Airlines Inc., American Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines (international fleet), Northwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines Co. International customers are Air France, Austrian Airlines, KLM, Kuwait Airways, Lauda Air, Lufthansa, SAS and SwissAir -- together, eight of the leading airlines in Europe and the Middle East. AT&T ACD currently has more than 1,400 aircraft and more than 2,100 aircraft under contract.

The Aviation Communications Division is 90 percent owned by AT&T Wireless Services and 10 percent owned by Cantel. The division is the world leader in air-to-ground and ground-to-air communications. The parent company, AT&T Wireless Services, is also the nation's largest provider of cellular service, offering wireless voice and data calling, and is the nation's fifth-largest provider of messaging services.

CONTACT: AT&T Wireless Services

Todd Wolfenbarger, 206/828-1851

or

Waggener Edstrom

Teresa Fausti-Flora or Jennifer Gehrt, 503/245-0905

[e-mail] or [e-mail]

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