Aircell's Gogo in-flight internet coming to United Airlines

Aircell already managed to coerce American, Delta, Virgin America and Air Canada into installing its Gogo in-flight internet equipment into at least a few of their airplanes, and now United Airlines can proudly say that it's no longer looking in from the outside. Starting this year, a baker's dozen of the company's Boeing 757s -- which will fly between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and California's Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport -- will be armed and ready with WiFi for the people. Pricing will remain set at $12.95 for the entire flight, and service is expected to roll out during the second half of this year.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Jan 14th 2009 11:48AM]

It's slow but steady... I wonder how long it's going to take for it to be common on all U.S airlines....

[Eddie @ Jan 14th 2009 11:56AM]

I hope they outfit the 777s and 747s too for the long haul flights.

Would the in flight internet work over the ocean if flying to Japan, Europe or Hawaii? Or is over land only?

[From My Cube @ Jan 14th 2009 12:05PM]

im hoping the same thing but for the atlantic! ill fly several times a quater to europe and would kill for wifi on the plane and at 13$ for the entire flight, dare i say reasonable (in respect to the cost of the flight + the fuel surcharge + the extra bag fee + pedobear fee)

[Jonathan @ Jan 14th 2009 12:10PM]

Gogo is over land only. The southwest/alaska airlines (when its finally released) is technically over water too as it uses satellites for the internet. Gogo I believe is using cell towers. Anything that goes over water would have to use satellites.

[Chris @ Jan 17th 2009 9:09PM]

@FromMyCube What is pedobear fee?

[upfish @ Jan 14th 2009 12:15PM]

sweet, I can keep my porn torrent going

[Hackettman @ Jan 14th 2009 12:15PM]

Id say thats a good reason to fly united......

[Like_A_Glove @ Jan 14th 2009 12:37PM]

Oh, that's sweet, while it supplying us with conveniences, it also offers conveniences to our anger friends.



Give Me Convenience and Give Me Death

[Adam @ Jan 14th 2009 12:49PM]

$2 - $3 per hour for wifi? The airline industry sucks.

[rcappo @ Jan 14th 2009 1:08PM]

If you fly for business, $13 is nothing to be productive during a 5 hour flight. Or even if you surf non-productive sites, I could waste 5 hours on-line pretty easily and the $13 would make the trip go by faster.

As it is now, I save websites and articles to read on the plane, so I may not be the exact demographic they are looking for. I also listen to music and watch DVDs like a lot of other people. But, I could see myself sending e-mail, reading the news, using IM, doing some on-line shopping, researching a few things and maybe even play some games.

But, this is assuming that they will have power on these flights as well, or that you have a really good laptop battery to last 5-6 hours.

[Trevor @ Jan 14th 2009 2:15PM]

With plane tickets approaching $500, wifi at $3- 4 an hour is cheap!

[Bla @ Jan 14th 2009 1:23PM]

The real question you have to ask is can you watch porn at 37000 with this system?

[Martin @ Jan 14th 2009 1:44PM]

Unless the internet no longer includes porn, I think the answer should be self evident.

[TJ @ Jan 14th 2009 1:45PM]

From the Gogo site (*important: read the last sentence):

Gogo® works with smartphones and other handheld devices equipped with Wi-Fi, offered by all major U.S. carriers, as listed below. Platforms supported include: BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Apple, and Nokia (Symbian S60). Voice service is not supported.

[dosguy @ Jan 14th 2009 2:38PM]

As long as they don't allow cellphone yackity yacking, I guess it's OK. The first time they allow that, some ignorant sonofabitch is gonna get tossed out at 30,000 feet. I guaranfriggintee it!

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Jan 14th 2009 2:48PM]

Who the hell is John F. Kennedy?

[paul-engadget @ Jan 14th 2009 3:07PM]

why do I get the urge to set up a man-in-the-middle attack on the wifi, and rick-roll everybody's traffic? that, or set up upside-down-ternet proxy rewriter!!

[J-fug @ Jan 14th 2009 3:30PM]

Because you wanted to sound like an awesome haxxor

[corey1138 @ Jan 14th 2009 3:33PM]

I know it's off topic but that picture must be DIA because that's Mt Evans in the background....

[Burko @ Jan 14th 2009 9:19PM]

Yes, that is Denver. I don't want to give anything away but expect another major carrier at Denver to introduce wifi sometime soon.

[js @ Jan 15th 2009 1:52AM]

maybe i'm completely wrong, but isn't that an a320 in the picture? i don't think those are 757 winglets!

[mxrz @ Jan 16th 2009 8:34PM]

It's an A319.

[mxrz @ Jan 16th 2009 8:33PM]

Air Canada wasn't coerced into anything yet, none of their planes have been fitted with the hardware, nor is the contract close to being final.