Major optimism from suppliers as the first regional jet WiFi upgrades are set for installation. But there’s still lots of debate as to which solution is technically best for the regional jet market and beyond.
inflight connectivity
First Breeze plane with Viasat inflight Wi-Fi now flying
The first Breeze Airways plane with Wi-Fi on board is now flying. The A220-300 was fitted with the Viasat inflight internet service earlier this month and is now operating in beta mode as it flies within Breeze’s network.
Qantas refines its first class suites for Project Sunrise A350s
We’re still nearly three years away from service launching, but Qantas continues to tease out how it plans to make 20+ hours on board comfortable for passengers flying on its longest routes.
SmartSky boosts patent claims against Gogo
SmartSky’s patent lawsuit against Gogo has grown. By increasing the number of patents at issue, SmartSky gains additional opportunities to win the suit; any one violation is sufficient for it to secure victory.
ThinKom scores contract for conformal inflight antenna solution
It is possible to completely remove the drag factor of an inflight internet satellite antenna? While electronically steered antenna (ESA) solutions promise to further reduce protrusions on the fuselage and limit drag in their future implementations, a new military-focused design from ThinKom completely eliminates the radome bump.
Seamless Air Alliance , GSMA team to ease inflight internet provisioning
Linking a cell phone plan to inflight internet service could get a little easier, thanks to a new partnership between the Seamless Air Alliance and the GSMA.
Beyond the Megabits: Taking Spirit’s WiFi for a ride
Spirit Airlines claims to offer the fastest internet in the sky. But there’s much more to inflight WiFi performance than just the megabits.
Zipair pick SpaceX Starlink for IFC update
Japanese long-haul airline Zipair plans to fit its fleet with inflight internet from Starlink. The company announced it would become the first Asian airline to offer the service, fitting out its 787s.
Anuvu taps Telesat for MicroGEO gateways
What does it take to manage communications with some of the smallest GEO satellites in orbit? How about some really, really big parabolic antennas. When Anuvu’s first MicroGEO satellites come online later this year they’ll communicate via new 9 meter gateway antennas, managed by Telesat.
Delta confirms fleet-wide commitment to Viasat inflight internet
It has been intimated and implied for roughly two years. Now it is confirmed. Delta Air Lines expects Viasat’s inflight internet service to be active across its entire fleet by the end of next year.