One of the most expensive inflight internet services is about to become massively more affordable. Swiss is dramatically revamping its inflight connectivity pricing, including introducing a free messaging tier.
IFEC
Gogo 5G takes a year delay on additional chip flaws
The Gogo 5G service will, once again, be delayed. The company announced a design error which must be resolved prior to deployment. Gogo 5G is now expected to go live in mid-2024, pending resolution of the chip flaws.
Astranis Arcturus microGEO failure pushes back on Anuvu’s schedule
Satellite failures are rare. But when they happen the impact can be massive. Astranis and Anuvu aim to avoid that, while working to understand problems on Arcturus, the first microGEO satellite to orbit.
Can a quick integration solve Viasat’s predicament
As Viasat works to mitigate the impact of its ViaSat-3 Americans reflector deployment troubles the company’s integration process with Inmarsat may prove a significant factor.
Deployment challenges hamper ViaSat-3 activation
Viasat’s plans to massively increase capacity and coverage with the ViaSat-3 constellation will have to wait a bit longer. After weeks of speculation and rumors the company confirmed “an unexpected event occurred during reflector deployment that may materially impact the performance of the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite.”
United launches new first class seats for single-aisle fleet
First class passengers on United Airlines might soon be flying in newly designed seats. The new seat features upgrades to the inflight entertainment system, as well as improved comfort and privacy for travelers, with plans to install it on more than 200 (mostly brand new) single-aisle aircraft by 2026.
easyJet makes moves for pre-order capability
The next stage in easyJet’s inflight sales offering is readying for flight. The carrier has partnered with Omnevo to help develop the pre-order and pre-select offerings for its “Eat, Drink, Shop & Duty Free” retail expansion. The first bits are expected to go live later this year.
Seeking understanding in the IFC world
No one likes to admit it, but every now and then a deal signed to deliver services for an airline turns sour. But those failures are also typically managed privately, and with minimal sniping between parties. When that veil of propriety is pierced, however, things get interesting in a hurry.
Rolling delays hit inflight connectivity over China
When it comes to inflight connectivity growth opportunity China is hard to ignore. It is a massive market, but one with almost no short-haul aircraft carrying Wi-Fi hardware on board. And despite repeated promises that the online world is finally ready to imminently take flight, at least one supplier is finally backing off the hype and recognizing significant additional delays in getting its systems off the ground.
JAL plans boost for inflight Wi-Fi service
Japan Airlines was an early adopter of inflight Wi-Fi internet service on board, and now the airline is ready to upgrade the offering. The company will upgrade approximately 50 aircraft in its “domestic” 737 and 767 fleet to the 2Ku solution from Intelsat.