Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi goes live commercially on Virgin America

The time has come, internet mavens... to comment on this post from 35,000 feet up, of course. After launching to a select handful of lucky souls last week, Virgin America has gone live with its Aircell-engineered Gogo internet service on select flights. As of now, an undisclosed amount of VA flights will offer guests unlimited use (with certain restrictions around VoIP, we hear) while in the air for $12.95 on flights longer than three hours and $9.95 for flights under three hours. The airline's entire fleet should be WiFi-ready by Q1 2009, but for now, why not kill some time tracking planes with live internet access? Fun, right?

[FLaSHBaCK @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:37PM]

airborne pron sweeps the world.

[tytrevor @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:47PM]

meh, if you think about it business class has had the availability for in-flight internet for quite some time now. however, since this is for everyone on board, i do believe it will help redefine what we know as internet on a plane.

[tytrevor @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:48PM]

wondering, do you know if you need a credit card for this to work?

[Dan @ Dec 4th 2008 11:16AM]

From what I can tell, all amenities onboard are handled through the Red IFE terminals, hence cashless. Also, the connection's supposed to cost $12.95 for flights > 3 hours, $9.95 for < 3 hours. So, I'd think that you would need a credit/debit card.

However, I'm taking my first VX flight in a couple of weeks, so until then, anyone who's flown VX might have better info.

[moo083 @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:53PM]

By Q1 2009. Does that mean on January 1st there will be WiFi in all VA flights? or did you mean by the end of Q1 2009?

[FLaSHBaCK @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:54PM]

If your plane is flying close to another plane can you steal its wifi? /sarcasm

[Isaac @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:55PM]

Not that I am one of those crazy security nut people and I really couldn't care less but:

Is it the best idea to make aircraft trackable via the internet?

[Tadas Simokaitis @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:07PM]

Well, the possibility to track planes for example over the internet isn't really something new!

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:11PM]

Anonymous tracking: http://www.jetblue.com/flightstatus/

We don't have much to worry about until the average Joe has the funding and materials to build cheap heat-seaking missiles.

[wickedpheonix @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:56PM]

1) Get a GPS unit
2) Buy a ticket
3) Record your flight path along with time stamps
4) Send flight path to someone with something like a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile, a GPS unit, a clock, and either some form of radar or high-powered binoculars or something to find the plane due to error bound in the exact path of the plane.
5) Wait for the next iteration of the flight to pass by
6) Shoot down the plane

Real-time tracking from within the plane is not necessary for shooting down the plane.

[Phoenix @ Dec 3rd 2008 12:15AM]

A good shoulder mounted missile launcher (read Stinger) can take down a commercial airliner without much trouble. They can fly 15,750 feet into the air and the footprint of aircraft below that level is incredibly large. That means they can be within approximately two miles of the airport and still hit their target if they are following normal flight procedures so tracking it doesn't really matter that much.

And for those who are saying that MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems or shoulder-mounted rocket launchers) aren't readily available for people to have and use in the continental US, they're not unless you've got the money, connections, and desire then anything goes.


And to keep it with the topic: I love the idea they're offering WiFi on the airline. That will offer another option for in-flight entertainment besides the horrifically censored in-flight movie and the screaming children in the row next to yours.

[Daniel @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:07PM]

I'm flying Virgin America Thursday.

I wish there was a way to find out if there will be wifi available on the flight before i get in there.

[bobby @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:20PM]

do they provide power outlets, or do you have to rely on your laptop's battery?

[reese @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:22PM]

2 outlets per 3 seats for main cabin... which should be sufficient to alternate every hour or 2 if all 3 passengers have a laptop.

[Ryan @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:03AM]

So if two people are using the sockets and your macbook air's amazing battery life fails you, will you be able to pull out a surge protector so that everyone can plug in? Or will new rules ban surge protectors on planes?

[Alex @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:11PM]

Yes it's exciting, but (in this economy especially) I doubt anyone is going to pay extra to fly on Virgin just because you can get internet for a few hours.

[Ryan @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:08AM]

However the demand from consumers and the knowledge that a competitor (be it ever so small of a competitor) having the technology readily available to customers might be enough to cause the other airlines to look into in-air wifi.

[Darren A. @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:52PM]

Did you make that graphic yourself? Because it looks like VA is going to Iowa, and there's no way that VA has ever even heard of Iowa...

As for the wifi, if anything would make the flights go by faster...

[mvp @ Dec 3rd 2008 2:53PM]

It's going in reverse to L.A.

[Alex @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:45PM]

I was thinking the same thing. The closest I'm probably ever going to get to a VA wifi-enabled flight is when it zooms over Des Moines. :-(

[Wwhat @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:11PM]

Who makes those superhuge planes in the picture?

[byrd @ Dec 3rd 2008 8:01PM]

I was on an AA flight from SFO to JFK two weeks ago and there were brochures directing people to log on. Problem was, the service wasn't turned on... or maybe it hadn't launched yet. I don't think the flight attendants knew how it worked. The brochures looked like they'd been there for a while, so I was surprised that the service wasn't actually available on the flight.

[Jimi Wes @ Dec 4th 2008 4:18AM]

I flew Virgin America today to LAX (12/3/08 @ 7:30AM EST) and there was no inflight WiFi.

[Jimi Wes @ Dec 4th 2008 4:23AM]

Oh, but they did have power outlets, USB and Ethernet jacks on the seats.

[Web Laureate @ Dec 10th 2008 2:15PM]

so sweeet. just the thought of having wifi on my next flight brings out the happy, little poet in me -> http://web-poet.com/2008/12/10/planely/