JetBlue’s planned Fly-Fi in-flight internet service took another small step forward this week. The FCC issued a blanket approval to ViaSat, the provider of the satellite connectivity, permitting the operation of the uplink and control station which will manage the connectivity. The approval was expected, despite protest from competitor Row44, and is a necessary step […]
internet
United Airlines officially launches in-flight wifi service
After a soft launch just before the new year United Airlines has officially announced their in-flight wifi solution. The carrier has one 747 and two A319s currently flying with the Panasonic-provided solution and expects to have 300 aircraft fitted by the end of the year. The Ku-band satellite solution allows United to provide global connectivity […]
Has United’s Panasonic-based in-flight internet service gone live??
The fact that a few United Airlines Airbus A319 aircraft have the Panasonic in-flight internet kit installed is not much of a secret. The carrier has been reasonably open about the fact that the type is getting the gear installed these days. But there haven’t been any more details released. No word on exactly when the […]
Qantas pulls the plug on in-flight internet; Etihad commits to fleet-wide connectivity
Nine months after activating a satellite-based internet service on their A380 fleet flying between Australia and the United States Qantas shut down the service this past weekend. Apparently usage was not sufficient to justify the costs of operating the systems. In a statement the airline indicated that the usage rate was less than 5 percent over […]
Some notes from United’s open house with frequent flyers
Yes, getting to drive the deicing truck was the highlight of my visit to United Airlines last week. But that was on Thursday; Friday offered up the opportunity to meet with a number of executives from the company and ask pretty much any questions we wanted of them. Sure, not all the questions were answered […]
JetBlue’s new in-flight Wifi: Fast and Free*
It seems that things are still on schedule for the deployment of the satellite-based in-flight internet connectivity on JetBlue starting in early 2013. The company has ratcheted up their publicity about the product this week, focusing on two key factors they see as making a difference to customers: the service will be FAST and the […]
Upgrades coming to United’s p.s. in-flight internet
The seats aren’t the only thing getting upgraded as United Airlines refits the 757s in its p.s. fleet. That the 13 aircraft dedicated to flying between New York City‘s JFK airport and San Francisco or Los Angeles will be seeing new seats showing up in the coming months was previously announced, The upgrades to the […]
Get 15 minutes of free wifi on Alaska Airlines through August
Alaska Airlines and in-flight internet provider gogo have announced a promotion for passengers to receive 15 minutes of free connectivity in-flight on most of the carrier’s routes. The promotion is valid throughout August 2012 and covers flights on the west coast and in Alaska. The promotion covers all flights operating wholly within or between the […]
Delta signs on with Gogo for international wifi service
Delta has announced plans for expanding in-flight internet deployment to their international fleet, taking advantage of the satellite-based offering from Gogo. The implementation will begin in 2013 and should be complete on the company’s 150 wide-body aircraft by 2015. The implementation will leverage the recently announced Gogo partnership with AeroSat and their Ku-band satellite system. […]
ANA to equip long-haul fleet with WiFi
ANA has announced plans to offer in-flight internet on a number of its planes flying international routes starting in Summer 2013. The plan will see the 777-30ER and 767-300ER fleets as the first to be fitted with the service. OnAir, the leading provider of satellite-based connectivity will be the platform of choice for ANA. Nice […]