Limited global coverage hampers the adoption of Ka-band satellite connectivity for many airlines. Two major providers will share networks to address the issue. Of course, they’re still limited to only having coverage where satellites are flying, so we’re still years away from a global solution.
La Compagnie: Low-ish fares for mediocre business class
Disruptive is good. Affordable business class is good. La Compagnie is trying but seems to mostly be missing in the ability to deliver on a truly disruptive product or making it more affordable than the existing competition. Oops.
In-flight: The JetBlue Mint experience
Welcome on board the very first passenger flight for JetBlue Mint, their new business class product. With flat-bed seats, premium meals and even four mini-suites on board this is very, very much not the JetBlue of 15 years ago.
JetBlue extending free Fly-Fi trial
Free wifi is good; on a plane is even better. And JetBlue’s FlyFi is the fastest service flying in the skies today which makes it pretty compelling. Of course, it is still free because it is a beta product which isn’t perfect. But still a nice price point.
Still the best in-flight internet. When it connects.
The Fly-Fi in-flight internet product from JetBlue (same hardware as United’s 737s, too) remains the best connectivity solution I’ve ever used on a plane. Alas, there are still reliability issues. It is spectacular when it works, though.
In-flight: Taking the Southwest/Row44 wifi for a ride
With more than 500 planes fitted with the Row44 in-flight internet kit a flight on Southwest these days is quite likely to mean an opportunity to be online while in the air. With my most recent work trip including a segment on Southwest that also meant an opportunity for me to try out the satellite-based […]
Could patent wars skew the in-flight connectivity market?
In-flight connectivity is improving rapidly as multiple companies work to improve the products on offer. New patent applications may slow that progress. Should we be concerned that the intellectual property battles will derail the current pace of innovation? Or is the IP protection a necessary part of the innovation process?
JetBlue goes binary with latest special livery
A fun and geeked-out new tail joined the JetBlue fleet this week. The “Connected to Blue” plane sports a slew of ones and zeroes celebrating the bits and bytes which make their new FlyFi in-flight internet service work. They even spelled part of the plane name in binary.
JetBlue A321s now certified for FlyFi, LiveTV
Be on the lookout for Fly-Fi internet service and in-seat TVs on JetBlue‘s A321 planes coming soon. The carrier is expected to announce later this afternoon announced Thursday that they have received certification from the FAA to install the hardware on their newest aircraft type. This will allow the carrier to retrofit the first few A321s […]
AT&T plans in-flight internet service
Want faster in-flight internet? AT&T may be the solution to your needs as the carrier announced this week plans to have 4G/LTE-based systems on board aircraft by the end of 2015. The company will, in essence, leverage their massive ground-based coverage footprint and bandwidth capacity to serve up connectivity in the sky. Additional antennae will […]