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United activates ViaSat's blazing-fast satellite WiFi on select 737s
JetBlue's Fly-Fi satellite internet has been online since November, but while a handful of United's 737s have been equipped with the necessary components to launch its own version of the service for the same period of time, that legacy carrier has kept passengers in the dark. Until this week. According to travel blogger Wandering Aramean, United has since flipped the switch on its latest WiFi effort. But unlike the Gogo available on its transcontinental 757s and the Panasonic satellite-based service aboard select A319, A320 and 747 aircraft, this latest version connects to the ultra-fast ViaSat-1 satellite, letting you surf at 30,000 feet with speeds you'd normally only find on the ground. We tested the same connection aboard a JetBlue A320 in November, and unlike United's existing connectivity options, which are often sluggish and spotty, this service flies. Unfortunately it's not clear where to find the Ka-band-equipped aircraft today, but if you're on a United 737 with DirecTV, there's a small chance it'll also have ViaSat satellite WiFi onboard. We're also not sure of pricing -- JetBlue is charging an introductory rate of $9 per hour for faster service, with basic connectivity available for free for the next few months, but United has yet to confirm its own fee structure. Based on the airline's current satellite WiFi pricing, we'd expect the new service to run between $10 and $15, depending on the length of your flight. We're of course eager to get onboard, so if you happen upon a United 737 with super-fast internet, please mark the tail number and give us a holler.
In-flight WiFi coming to 300 United and Continental aircraft beginning in mid-2012, entire fleet covered by 2015
Planning to fly on United or Continental at any point over the next few years? Then it looks like your odds of having in-flight WiFi will be getting increasingly better. United Continental Holdings announced today that it's signed an agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring satellite-based WiFi connectivity to more than 300 of its aircraft beginning in mid-2012. Those aircraft will include Airbus 319 and 320 and Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787, and the company says it expects its entire mainline fleet to be covered by 2015. No specific word on any additional content or services that will come with it (or a cost, for that matter), but the company promises that the system will "enable wireless streaming of video content."
Daily Update for August 23, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
United and Continental Airlines to hand out 11,000 iPads to its pilots
United and Continental Airlines are throwing out their paper flight manuals and navigational charts and embracing the iPad. About 11,000 iPads will be given to all United and Continental pilots starting this month. The airline expects the iPad will replace 38 pounds of documentation per pilot and 16 million pieces of paper each year. This move to electronic documentation on the iPad is a growing trend in the airline industry. Just this year, Alaska Airlines gave iPads to their pilots and Delta Airlines is testing a similar program for its pilots. British Airways also adopted iPads for its cabin crew to help with customer service. [Via The Loop]
Continental to launch in-flight WiFi in 2010
Looks like Continental is the latest to inch closer to our dream of WiFi on every flight: the airline just announced that it'll be rolling out Gogo in-flight internet service on 21 Boeing 757-300s in its fleet starting in Q2 2010. The service will cost $4.95 and up based on flight length, and the 757s in question mostly serve domestic routes -- we're hoping Continental takes a cue from American and US Airways and lets passengers check to see if their plane is WiFi-enabled.
Continental Airlines expands paperless boarding in US
Handset addicts traveling domestically through Houston's Intercontinental Airport have likely utilized the paperless boarding option if hopping on a Continental flight, and apparently the initiative is going over so well that the aforesaid airline and the TSA are expanding it to three more venues. As of now, passengers traveling within the US can enjoy the same luxury at Boston's Logan International Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C; later this month, the program should slide into Newark International Airport in New Jersey. As expected, only folks traveling alone can take advantage, as the airline feels that pulling up passes for an entire group would actually slow the flow of boarding. There's been no word given on future expansion plans, but at this rate, we wouldn't be shocked to see it hit even more airports in the not-too-distant future. [Via WBZTV]
Continental rolling out DirecTV, IM, and email to 225 planes
In another mostly positive step for in-flight entertainment options, Continental Airlines will be rolling out DirecTV along with email and IM service on 225 of its planes starting next January -- the majority of its domestic fleet, according to Reuters -- although watching some tube will reportedly cost economy passengers six bucks-a-pop. Continental is teaming up with LiveTV on the venture, a subsidiary of JetBlue which also provides that airline with DirecTV, XM, and, more recently, limited Yahoo email and IM services courtesy of its 800MHz bandwidth acquisition. LiveTV will both provide and install a majority of the in-plane hardware in exchange for most of the revenue from economy section TV viewers; the 36 DirecTV channels will be free to first class passengers, and anyone with compatible devices and a Yahoo account can connect to the flying hotspots.[Via Reuters]
Continental Airlines testing cellphone boarding passes
Paperless boarding schemes aren't exactly revolutionary, but they're still far from common at US airports. Now, however, Continental Airlines has announced that it will be trialing a cellphone-based boarding setup at Houston's Intercontinental Airport, which will enable single passengers to show personnel a jumbled mixture of blocks alongside their ID in order to hop on board. The three-month program will allow guinea pigs to receive a paper pass should their mobile / PDA run out of juice before boarding time approaches, and while hard plans for future use aren't laid out, it was noted that the process could spread to other airlines and airports if things go smoothly.
FCC rules to reinstate free WiFi at Boston-Logan International Airport
Although the Federal Communications Commission isn't exactly known for ruling in favor of popular consumer desire, even we have to give a hearty round of applause to the traditionally nettlesome agency for its edict in the WiFi battle at Boston-Logan International Airport. The Massachusetts Port Authority (better known as Massport) had ordered airlines that were providing wireless internet free of charge in their customer lounges to pull the plug in favor of fee-based services in 2005, but as we expected, the FCC overturned the pronouncement and agreed that the agency's "OTA reception devices regulations" allowed airlines to offer WiFi gratis. In a staggeringly pro-consumer remark, the Commission's commissioner insinuated that open internet access was meant to be free and readily available to travelers "who can make productive use of their time while waiting to catch their next flight." Bravo FCC, bravo.
