LOCAL BRIEFS: Delta sued over Wi-Fi patent

Delta Air Lines and its in-flight Wi-Fi service provider have been sued by a Massachusetts company for patent infringement. Ashland, Mass.-based Ambit Corp., a technology development firm, claims in its suit that Atlanta-based Delta and Wi-Fi provider Aircell LLC infringe on its patent for a “system for enabling communication from personal computer communication devices located within a passenger vehicle to a distant communication system located outside of said passenger vehicle,” using antennae on the devices. Delta started rolling out its Wi-Fi service in December, launching the service on six planes, with plans to gradually add service to more aircraft. Delta uses Itasca, Ill.-based Aircell’s new Gogo in-flight Internet system. Ambit Corp., represented by intellectual property law firm Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Boston. Ambit was founded by a former Boston Scientific Corp. executive and a patent attorney. Delta said in an e-mailed statement that it intends to work with Aircell to “vigorously defend our interests.” Aircell declined to comment.

Employment down at airlines

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines had a 6.2 percent drop in employment levels in 2008, while AirTran Airways had a 9.1 percent drop last year, based on the number of full-time equivalent employees tallied in a federal report. Delta and AirTran were two of 17 carriers that had declines in employment in December 2008 compared with December 2007, according to the report released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. U.S. airlines overall had a 6.7 percent drop in employment last year. Delta’s regional subsidiary Comair had a 12.9 percent drop, while Atlanta-based Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines had a 1.4 percent increase. Northwest subsidiaries Mesaba and Compass, which Delta gained through its acquisition of Northwest last October, had larger increases in employment in 2008.

Air taxi service lowers rates

Greenville, S.C.-based air taxi operation SATSair announced that it is offering a new rate of $495 per hour for flights out of DeKalb Peachtree Airport that return within a 12-hour period by 7 p.m. SATSair’s regular rate is $695 per hour. The company operates in the Southeast and has a fleet of 26 Cirrus SR-22 aircraft that carry up to three passengers.

Delta wants second Rio flight

Delta Air Lines has requested approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to start a second daily flight from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as of Dec. 18. Mexico City-based AeroMexico announced it will begin flying from Atlanta to Cancun as of March 12. The flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays from Atlanta and on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Cancun.