In FlightWifi -- Engadget

In-flightWifi posts

Virgin America and Google gift flyers with free WiFi for the holidays

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 at 7:21PM

While those legacy airlines are scheming to charge you more to fly over the holidays, Virgin America is making it even easier to choose its services over the rest. Announced today, the airline (which should expand to more cities on the double, just so we're clear) has teamed up with Google in order to bring gratis WiFi to all flyers throughout the holiday season. If you'll recall, VA recently made known that every single one of its aircraft was equipped with in-flight internet courtesy of Aircell, and between November 10th, 2009 and January 15th, 2010, your surfing will be on the house should your find yourself in a seat. Not a bad way to spread a little holiday cheer, huh?

[Via Engadget Spanish]

US Airways launching Gogo in-flight internet next year, to show WiFi logo when booking

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 10:32AM

Our wildest, most frenzied dreams are coming true, airline by airline. As Aircell steps in to infiltrate yet another legacy carrier here in America, US Airways has finally caved to the pressures of being an airline in 2009 by announcing its intentions to get Gogo on a select few of its planes. Starting in early 2010, Gogo in-flight internet will be added to its fleet of 50 A321 aircraft, and while that's certainly not a jaw-dropping amount, it's better than zilch. Of note, US Airways also has plans to let consumers see if their proposed flight will have WiFi when booking online, and while we can't help but celebrate such an achievement, we're also mighty fearful that this will lead to yet another fee for the privilege of riding on a WiFi-equipped plane. You know -- considering that this airline once refused water to passengers on a 6.5 hour flight last August.

[Via Gadling]

Aircell offers short haul, 24-hour Gogo in-flight internet passes

by Darren Murph posted Jul 15th 2009 at 1:26PM

It's a technology lover's dream come true: in-flight internet. Knowing that all too well, Aircell has decided to expand its pricing options for its Gogo services, which are currently available on select flights from Virgin America, AirTran, Delta and America Airlines. In order to better serve more customers on flights of varying lengths, the company has today announced two new options: a Flight Pass for short haul flights and a 24-Hour Pass for those doing a same-day return or connecting on multiple short haul flights. The former will run WiFi addicts $5.95 for flights lasting approximately 1.5 hours or less, while the latter will provide 24-hour access on a single airline for $12.95 (though it's only available initially on AirTran and Delta). If you're doing an unfathomable amount of cruising the friendly skies, there's even a 30-day unlimited pass for a single airline that'll set you back $49.95. Now, if only Gogo would get going on more planes, we'd happily take advantage.

[Via Gadling]

Cessna to offer Aircell high-speed internet on Citation private jets

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 11th 2009 at 1:21AM

While Aircell's high-speed in-flight internet service and other similar options are quickly becoming commonplace on commercial airlines, folks on private jets have so far had nothing to do but sit in their plush leather seats and drown their sorrows in a selection from the on-board wine cabinet. That dire situation now looks to be changing, however, as Cessna has just announced a partnership with Aircell that'll see the 3G-based in-flight WiFi service available as a factory option on its Citation XLS+, Citation Sovereign and Citation X business jets. As if that wasn't enough, it seems that the upgrade may even be eligible for bonus tax depreciation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, so really, you might as well just get that new plane. It practically pays for itself.

Video: Wi-SKY promises in-flight 45Mbps downloads, does nothing for your troubled conscience

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 4th 2009 at 4:46PM

So, we know you're as giddy as a child on Christmas morn' every time one of your flights turns out to have WiFi. But what if we told you that those puny 900+kbps transfers could soon be dwarfed by download rates as high as 45Mbps? This is Wi-SKY's claim, made during a presentation at the Immarsat Aeronautical Conference. According to Electronista, the technology relies on a series of radio towers that are each capable of broadcasting a distance of up to 54 miles. The company has yet to announce any airline partnerships or a timeline for deployment, so don't expect to do any bandwidth-intensive tech blogging from the skies over Laramie any time soon. But we do have an octane-fueled, high-adrenaline video for you. Peep it after the break.

Continue reading Video: Wi-SKY promises in-flight 45Mbps downloads, does nothing for your troubled conscience

Virgin America lights up entire fleet with in-flight WiFi

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2009 at 5:46PM

Hold up AirTran -- not so fast with those wild claims of in-flight WiFi superiority. If you'll recall, the aforesaid airline proclaimed that it would soon be the first to have its entire fleet doused with Gogo, but it looks like Virgin America has swept in to claim that title. We should point out just how unfair the challenge is, though: VA has 28 planes as of today, whereas AirTran has 136. At any rate, we're still thrilled to see airlines duking it out in order to get more WiFi to more fliers, and we fully anticipate that every new aircraft added to Virgin America's fleet will be lit from day one. Now, if only they'd allow Skype functionality for more than just an Oprah demonstration, we'd really be playing with fire.

[Via Gadling]

AirTran brings Gogo in-flight WiFi to every single flight

by Darren Murph posted May 12th 2009 at 12:22PM

Listen up, jet-setters -- AirTran Airways just got a lot more attractive. Starting this summer, this very airline will become the "world's first" (Virgin America will have its comparatively small fleet of 28 fully equipped by Memorial Day) to equip all of its aircraft with in-flight WiFi, and when we say "all," we mean "all." Much like the half dozen other Aircell airline partners, AirTran is also utilizing Gogo technology, but it's doing so across its entire fleet of Boeing 737 and 717 aircraft. If all goes to plan, all 136 AirTran planes will be broadband-enabled by "mid-summer," and as with other Gogo-equipped planes, patrons will be asked to pony up $12.95 for access on flights over three hours and $9.95 for jaunts that are three hours or less. Of note, "handheld devices" can hop online for just $7.95 regardless of flight length, though we get the idea that VoIP calling will still be disabled.

American bringing in-flight WiFi to over 300 planes

by Darren Murph posted Mar 31st 2009 at 2:26PM

All hail the laggard! With pretty much every other US-based legacy carrier already on board, we were beginning to wonder if American Airlines even got the memo that in-flight WiFi was in serious demand. At long last, the company has made clear that it plans to equip more than 300 MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft used primarily in the United States with high-speed WiFi capability (over the next two years). If you'll recall, American announced early on that it was game for trialing the tech, but until today, it had yet to make a commitment large enough to make you consider signing up for its credit card and bankrolling those frequent flyer miles. We're expecting more details to emerge soon, but feel free to start pestering its agents with the whos, whats, wheres and whens.

Southwest details in-flight WiFi plans, announces partnership with Yahoo!

by Darren Murph posted Feb 11th 2009 at 7:31AM

Southwest got official with its WiFi plans late last month, but avid travelers who favor the only airline worth flying anymore (okay, Virgin America and JetBlue aren't bad either) were left wondering about most of the details. Today, the company has fired up a single Row 44-equipped flight, and it has announced plans to equip three more airplanes with in-flight WiFi by early next month. Furthermore, it has nailed down a partnership with Yahoo! in order to offer an in-flight homepage with "destination-relevant content." The service, which has yet to receive final FCC approval, will be tested over the next few months, and if all goes well, we're left to hope, pray and beg that the airline rolls it out fleet-wide. There's no mention of an actual price here, but it would totally rule if it bucked the trend and provided it to everyone for free. Right, everyone?

[Via Gadling]

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

by Darren Murph posted Jan 14th 2009 at 11:35AM

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.

Delta pushes in-flight WiFi plans ahead, Gogo to hit 2,000 planes in 2009

by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2008 at 9:50PM

Here's something that doesn't happen everyday with legacy airlines -- an announcement that something is actually ahead of schedule. After hearing that Delta would equip its entire US fleet with Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi in 2009, along comes a release from Aircell that says otherwise. In fact, it proclaims that "Delta Air Lines is expected to launch service before the end of 2008." Furthermore, the company has confessed that "most major US carriers are in advanced discussions with or are already contractually committed to Aircell," which certainly bodes well for avid travelers who take issue with long periods of disconnection. Aircell is hoping to have its in-flight internet tech installed in 2,000 commercial aircraft by the end of 2009 -- talk about making the friendly skies "friendly" again.

[Image courtesy of Gadling]

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

by Darren Murph posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 6:35PM

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?

Air Canada inks deal with Aircell for in-flight WiFi

by Darren Murph posted Sep 10th 2008 at 6:25AM

Check it, Canucks -- Air Canada is following in the footsteps of several other airlines by finally taking the plunge on in-flight WiFi. Similar to American Airlines, it has landed a deal with Aircell in order to bring the intarwebz to the friendly skies on select flights. Starting next spring, certain transborder flights from the Great North to the West Coast of America will give passengers the option of hopping online for C$12.95, and Charles McKee, the airline's vice-president of marketing, has asserted that it has every intention of rolling the service out "across its North American fleet" in the future. Now, if only every other airline would follow suit...

[Via Jaunted]

American Airlines goes live with in-flight WiFi service

by Darren Murph posted Aug 20th 2008 at 9:52AM

At long last, "you are now free to surf the intarwebz while flying." Okay, so maybe it has been possible in the past, but American Airlines is taking a huge leap forward in the US market today by giving passengers aboard long-haul Boeing 767-200 flights the option to hop online during the trip. The GoGo service, which is being provided by Aircell, will charge customers $12.95 for access to the world wide web, though Reuters points out that VoIP calling is "not available." Delta, US Airways, et al. -- time to get with the program.

[Via Dallas News, thanks Travis]

American Airlines rolling out in-flight WiFi to 15 more jets

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 17th 2008 at 10:24AM

American Airlines ran a "dress rehearsal" of its AirCell-powered in-fight WiFi service last month, and it looks like it was a success -- the airline is set to expand the trial to some 15 jets over the coming weeks, with tests expected to last six months. The tests are apparently more to evaluate the speed and reliability of the wireless connection, rather than to study the impact on the plane's avionics, so it looks like this is finally happening -- we'd recommend against wearing your WiFi-detector shirts through security, however.

[Via Wired]