Fast in-flight WiFi. Fair pricing. But not quite free. That’s the proposition now on offer from Alaska Airlines, as it sets a flat-rate, $8 per flight price point for internet service across its fleet.
in-flight internet
China Airlines selects Inmarsat GX by SITA for A321neo in-flight WiFi
Passengers on China Airlines’ new A321neo fleet can access high speed internet service in the sky. The carrier selected SITA to deliver its Internet ONAIR product on board, backed by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation satellite network.
Two more ESAs prepare for flight
More electronically steered antenna (ESAs) solutions will be flying later this year. At least two more companies are looking to launch test flights of the new technology with a focus on eventually serving commercial aircraft.
Hughes shows off flat panel antenna for OneWeb service
It is not a product, at least not quite yet. But Hughes is showing off a cool new flat-panel antenna* that will soon be used for enterprise connections to the OneWeb low earth orbit satellite constellation.
Air Canada to fly the A321XLR
Air Canada announced plans to acquire 26 A321XLR aircraft, updating its long-haul offerings. The aircraft will be used for flights within North America, as well as some Transatlantic markets, pending approval from Transport Canada regulators.
Is Starlink finally ready for commercial flight?
“We are already on airplanes. We are testing the antenna and working towards certification.”
With that statement at the Satellite 2022 conference in Washington, DC this week, Jonathan Hofeller, VP of Starlink Commercial Sales kicked off another round of speculation about what the future of in-flight connectivity will be.
Gilat’s ESA shows promise with successful Ka-band test
Gilat’s newest ESA is ready to take to the skies. The company announced a breakthrough in electronically steerable antenna (ESA) technology for in-flight connectivity (IFC) with the conclusion of flight tests conducted by Airbus Defence and Space.
SmartSky signs flyExclusive to fleet connectivity deal
SmartSky snagged its first connected charter fleet customer. FlyExclusive will fit its fleet with the SmartSky air-to-ground inflight connectivity service beginning later this Spring.
Another Spirit Airlines WiFi turning point
Spirit Airlines hit another milestone in its in-flight WiFi service rollout earlier this month. And, while it may be a tad premature, it gives the carrier an opportunity to focus more on marketing the on-board internet offering to passengers.
Intelsat, Gilat sign multi-million dollar modem contract
Intelsat’s future in-flight connectivity implementations are slated for an upgrade. The company announced a multi-million dollar deal with Gilat to implement the SkyEdge IV Taurus Modem in its on-board terminals.