Air Canada’s newly expanded relationship with Intelsat shows off the power of jointly developing not just a bandwidth map, but partnering on how that service is delivered, to the airline and to passengers on board.
regional jet
Air Canada expands Intelsat partnership for in-flight Wi-Fi on 737 MAX, regional jets
Updated inflight internet systems are coming to Air Canada’s 737 MAX and regional jets. In total, approximately 100 planes will see Intelsat’s systems installed in the years ahead.
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.
Testing the next step for LEO-based IFC
On Monday afternoon a CRJ700 landed at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport near Broomfield, Colorado after more than four hours en route from Portland, Maine. Fortunately, no passengers found themselves enduring the “comfort” of that long ride in a little jet. But, thanks to the work happening on board, millions of travelers annually will soon have access to a better inflight Wi-Fi experience.
Another regional connectivity deal is done
No one is willing to spill the beans completely, but it appears ThinKom has secured an airline launch customer for its Ka1717 regional jet inflight internet solution.
Delta retires streaming entertainment option
For years Delta Air Lines highlighted its on-board content library as a valuable part of the inflight entertainment offering. Turns out scant few passengers streamed anything on shorter flights, however, and now the carrier is shedding that cost.
CesiumAstro brings Ka-band ESA to life; Airbus trials planned
CesiumAstro has a lot of experience delivering phased array antenna solutions in space. Now it wants to bring that hardware a bit closer to earth. The company announced a new Ka-band electronically steered antenna (ESA) platform at Satellite 2023, including plans for the commercial aviation sector.
Orbit makes antenna play for the regional jet IFC market
As multiple vendors vie for a slice of the regional jet connectivity refresh in the North America Orbit Communication Systems is taking an arguably more well-rounded approach. The company is now pitching its AirTRx family of parabolic antennae as “the ultimate solution for regional jets, where space is limited.”
Viasat confirms Delta fleet growth
Viasat will install its inflight internet solution across more than 1,000 planes for Delta Air Lines as part of an updated agreement between the two companies. The deal includes all active aircraft in its Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 767 fleets.
Removing inflight connectivity friction, and maybe creating another problem along the way
Step on board a plane flying with the SpaceX Starlink satellite network and you’re online immdiately. There’s no capture portal, no extra clicks. And that approach may also limit Starlink’s reach into the market, in a somewhat unexpected way.