The Business of Passenger Experience
What good is having an inflight wifi connectivity product if no one is using it? Gogo sits flush with satellite capacity and is pushing to increase take rates (and revenue) up dramatically on its platform.
This week’s edition of “What’s under that radome?” comes to us from Toulouse, where Iberia’s first A350-900 broke cover. The carrier shared a few photos on Twitter and the aircraft is sporting a line-fit radome on the fuselage.
Gogo is the first inflight connectivity provider to pass data on the SES-15 Ku-band satellite. That’s great news for passengers, and it should get even better soon as others join that party.
Virgin Atlantic’s newest used plane features the seats and entertainment system the carrier’s passengers have come to know and love. But it is missing the newest amenity – inflight wifi connectivity – and that’s unlikely to change.
The sluggish roll-out of Gogo’s 2Ku inflight wifi connectivity on British Airways maybe picking up speed. The first 777-300ER is now confirmed with the kit installed and active.
More planes are flying with wifi than ever before. Added bonus: It is generally more useful and cheaper, too! Some great data out in the 2018 edition of the Routehappy wifi report, released this week.
Interjet is the latest airline to add inflight wifi to its fleet. The carrier took delivery of its first A321neo last week and with that adds Ku-band connectivity from Panasonic Avionics to the inflight amenities on offer.
Aeromexico's first 737 MAX rolled off the assembly line at Renton last week and all indications are that, unlike the company's 737-800s, it will not be flying with the Gogo 2Ku solution.
SES and Yahsat have more capacity in the sky thanks to an Arianespace launch last night. The launch suffered from anomalies after the second stage ignition and the satellites were not inserted where initially expected, though both companies report control of their assets.
Thales is the latest IFE/C vendor to partner with Chinese conglomerate HNA Group to deliver entertainment and connectivity services on board. But will they really fly? Concerns about the financial stability of HNA raise significant concerns about the long-term viability of the offerings.
