Two Entrepreneurs Flying high on September 11!

Tim Whatley, Aeritas co-founder and CEO, and Pat Johnson, Aeritas director of product development, were flying high on September 11, figuratively and literally. The following is a tale of how their business plans have changed since 9/11, 2001

The two entrepreneurs where flying to yet another promising meeting with a major airline to demo the Aeritas' innovative wireless check-in solution; Aeritas already had agreements in place with Sabre and Siemens to market the Aeritas wireless check-in solution to U.S. and European airlines, respectively; and just two months prior, Lufthansa had announced that it would deploy its wireless check-in service (m-barq) utilizing Aeritas technology.

When the Captain announced that their flight was being redirected for an immediate landing 'due to a national emergency,' Tim and Pat, like all passengers aboard the flight, where concerned, anxious and perhaps a little frightened.

When the two learned the nature of their abrupt landing, they shared the horror and outrage of all Americans. But along with these intense feelings, came stabbing pangs of dread regarding their company's future...

Pre-9/11, airlines had been most interested in the "convenience" provided by the Aeritas wireless check-in solution. The voice-biometric security feature built into the solution had not resonated very strongly with airlines, who perceived the "convenience factor" as the overarching business value of wireless check-in.

Given this industry feedback, Tim and Pat could not deny that the future looked bleak for a wireless technology start-up focused exclusively on the convenience benefits of expediting the check-in process.

In the true entrepreneurial spirit, Tim and Pat and the rest of the Aeritas team countered adversity with hard work and innovation, re-emphasizing the importance of the solutions' voice biometric security feature and re-tooling the solution to include a passenger photo ID component.

Now, the security features of FreedomPass--voiceprint biometric, barcode boarding pass linked to a photo ID, ability to integrate with government watch lists, coupled with the solutions' ability to ease airport congestion (read ensure financial viability) by fast-tracking frequent flyers through the check-in process, is generating strong interest among many major airlines, as well the support of a number of former, senior-level Sabre execs, including Jim Poage, former EVP of worldwide marketing for Sabre.

To learn more about how airlines are responding to FreedomPass, and how former Sabre execs are creating opportunities for this innovative start-up, give me a shout or ping and I'll set up a conference call with Tim Whatley, Aeritas co-founder and CEO, and Jim Poage investment consultant and former EVP of worldwide marketing for Sabre.

See press release for more information on Aeritas FreedomPass.

Contact
Rory Doherty
Public Relations for Aeritas
214/373.1601



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