It is not often that one gets to test multiple in-flight wifi providers on the same day. I guess I can say I got lucky in that regard. Getting to use three different services within a 10-day span made for some good “comparison shopping” so to speak.
United
In-flight wifi at a price not worth paying
Total flight time was 94 minutes. It was 10+ minutes after departure before the satellite sync’d up and it was even possible to pay. And I knew we’d have to shut down 15-20 minutes prior to landing. So basically $7/hour for service which might be decent. Oh, and trying to use the UA site for […]
United 777s have wifi, but not for passengers
It is hard to get a coherent picture of the progress United Airlines has made installing wifi on their fleet. Despite lofty promises and more than a couple stumbling blocks along the way the carrier is much further along in the deployment process than the public details seem to show. And the company’s (all too […]
United Airlines quietly activates LiveTV-powered wifi on some 737s
A couple months back United Airlines acknowledged that they had begun installation of the LiveTV/ViaSat-powered Ka-band satellite wifi connectivity product on their 737 fleet. These planes were flying around with the hardware installed but the service was not activated. Now it appears that the service has been activated, without so much as a peep from […]
The newest, fastest in-flight internet will launch in China
Want to connect in-flight to the latest in airborne wifi services? Starting in 2015 that will mean a trip to China. Air China has signed on as the launch/test partner for Honeywell’s GX Aviation connectivity platform. The system will be installed on Air China A330s starting in Q2 ’15. The service is based on the […]
United’s Ka-band wifi is flying, but not yet for passengers
United Airlines customers have been wondering about the state of the on-board wifi system for quite a while now. The carrier was the last major in the United States to commit to a fleet-wide connectivity plan and, even since that commitment, they’ve appeared somewhat slow on the deployment front. There are many reasons for the […]
United does Investor Day and manages to not really say much
‘Tis the season for airline investor day conferences. These are events where the airlines present to representatives from investment banks and more or less beg the banks to increase their price target for the airline’s stock. They do this by bringing a bunch of the executives together and putting together a slide deck and talks […]
Gate-to-gate wifi: Coming soon, but someone has to pay for it
Now that personal electronic device use is permitted gate-to-gate on the bulk of flights in the USA (and most of the rest should be on board soon) the question becomes what about gate-to-gate connectivity? When will travelers be able to use WiFi throughout their trip rather than only above 10,000 feet? Alas, the answer isn’t […]
United to slim(line) their 737 fleet
Remember a few months back when United announced that their Airbus narrow-body aircraft were getting new seats? Seems that the same change is now on tap for the Boeing half of the narrow-body fleet. The 737s are on tap to receive a similar slimline seat starting in 2014 according to sources inside the company. The […]
JetBlue receives FAA approval for in-flight wifi system
Late last Friday JetBlue‘s LiveTV subsidiary received word from the FAA that the Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for their new in-flight internet service was approved. This STC covers the carrier’s A320 fleet. The activation of this service has been a long time coming, but it now appears that JetBlue will be able to implement the […]