Chalk up another 230+ Delta Air Lines aircraft to be converted to the Viasat in-flight connectivity platform.
IFEC
Safran boosts SkyFive, leads Series A funding
Air-to-ground connectivity company SkyFive bolstered its bank account this week, closing a Series A funding round. The round was led by Safran Corporate Ventures. Also participating in the round was STAR Capital, a European private equity fund manager with a track record of developing emerging infrastructure businesses.
Breeze sets initial routes; first flight next week
Breeze is ready to take flight. The newest US carrier announced its route network today, serving 39 nonstop routes between 16 cities in the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Eastern US. The airline will waste no time getting its planes into service. The first flights will operate next Thursday, from Tampa to Charleston and then to Hartford.
NBA League Pass to stream on Viasat-equipped flights
Call it a cool inflight content deal, hamstrung by licensing challenges. Viasat and the NBA teamed up to offer streaming access to the NBA League Pass for passengers through a multi-year deal. Just not for travelers in the USA.
Spirit Airlines WiFi goes live*
Spirit Airlines is now online in the sky. The first few planes fitted with the company’s in-flight wifi connectivity offering recently entered service for passenger use, though a formal launch is not expected until later this year.
Qingdao Airlines reaffirms full-fleet connectivity plan
Qingdao Airlines is ready for a full-fleet deployment of high-speed in-flight internet service. The carrier reaffirmed its commitment to the FTS Xstream™ high-speed satellite inflight system earlier this month, validating the successful implementation of the first aircraft July 2020.
Global Eagle, Telesat push forward with LEO antenna qualification
Global Eagle is moving closer to a Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The company recently cleared a critical milestone in the verification phase for the Global Eagle Airconnect Ka IFC terminal to be used with Canadian satellite operator Telesat’s planned Lightspeed low-earth orbit (LEO) network.
Airbus, Latécoère bring LiFi IFE to the business jet market
LiFi is coming to the Airbus Corporate Jet product line. The company signed an agreement with Latécoère Interconnection Systems to develop The ACJ Smart LiFi Monitor, a new and unique In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) technology.
OneWeb buys TrustComm, access to the US government market
LEO satellite operator OneWeb announced plans to acquire Texas-based TrustComm Inc., enabling it to offer Low Earth Orbit network and connectivity services to U.S. government clients and TrustComm customers.
Gogo boosts unlimited streaming subscription option
Unlimited monthly data on board is now available on Gogo’s Biz 4G air-to-ground network. The option is one of three new pricing plans added to the company’s portfolio as it continues to see increased demand for higher bandwidth use cases, including streaming video services, from its business jet customers.