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Stream Apple Music for free on American Airlines flights
Using your streaming services outside of your home's WiFi network (or your data plan) is either a challenge or plain expensive. And inflight? Forget it. That data is way too expensive. For American Airlines passengers and Apple Music users, there's a solution incoming. The companies have announced that subscribers can connect to the airline's complimentary inflight Wi-Fi to access Apple's entire catalogue of songs, music videos and the rest. In the press release, Apple Music vice president Oliver Schusser said that from Friday, subscribers will be able to "stream all their favorite songs and artists in the air, and continue to listen to their personal library offline."
American Airlines offers free live TV through Dish
You might not be stuck watching a handful of mediocre movies (or your offline copies of streaming shows) the next time you're on a long-haul flight. American Airlines and Dish recently started offering free live TV for domestic US flights aboard 100-plus aircraft with Gogo's 2Ku satellite access. It won't match your service back home, but you will have access to a dozen major networks including CNN, ESPN, NBC and Telemundo. And you don't have to squint at a small seatback display -- you can stream the channels directly to your laptop or mobile device.
New York's JFK airport will screen luggage with a CT scanner
Some passengers traveling through JFK airport will soon have the contents of their luggage examined through a CT scanner. American Airlines has donated eight of the machines to the TSA, one of which has been installed at JFK, and it's expected to be put into operation in JFK's Terminal 8 security checkpoint later this month. By opting for a CT scanner over the traditional x-ray machines, TSA agents would be able to see contents more clearly and be able to rotate images of passengers' luggage 360 degrees. "What it's capable of doing is detecting a wider range of explosives, which is very important, [as well as] a much lower weight of explosives," TSA Administrator David Pekoske told CBS News. "They're just much better at detection, so you really get better security faster, essentially."
US airlines plan to enforce new rules on smart bags
Travelers looking to use their fancy new smart luggage may soon face a hard time getting the bags on a plane due to safety concerns about their batteries. According to CNN, American, Delta and Alaska Airlines have all announced that starting January 15th, passengers checking smart luggage will have to remove the lithium-ion batteries (or keep them powered down if traveling in the cabin). The site also says that United Continental and Southwest Airlines both plan to announce similar policies soon. That's 80 percent of the US air traffic, according to CNN.
Two airlines are bringing faster WiFi to their international flights
Two airlines have made moves to upgrade their WiFi offerings today. Cathay Pacific Group will provide GoGo's 2Ku satellite-based broadband technology starting in 2018 and Emirates has partnered with Thales to bring 50Mpbs connectivity to its Boeing 777X fleet in 2020.
American Airlines upgrading 500 jets to faster satellite WiFi
If you want faster WiFi when you fly and don't mind paying for it, American Airlines is upgrading its WiFi systems on over 500 domestic aircraft, according to Bloomberg. To get those speeds the carrier is dumping GoGo's terrestrial Ku-band internet service in favor of ViaSat. That company's satellite technology allows for faster surfing and streaming of services like Netflix and YouTube, something that's currently verboten with GoGo. The upgrades will start in 2017 and take up to two years to complete.
American Airlines to test automatic security screening this fall
It's bad enough that US airports engage in security theater that seldom makes you safer. However, it's made that much worse by the delays -- having to wait for agents to X-ray your bags is frustrating when you're desperate to get to your gate. American Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration aren't deaf to your complaints, though. They're partnering on a trial this fall for automatic screening technology that should be both more effective and save about 30 percent of your precious time in line. Among the improvements are automatic conveyor belts, a way of isolating risky bags without disrupting the queue, RIFD tags for bins and cameras that link outside photos of a bag to its X-ray.
NASA and American Airlines team up to improve cockpit displays
In order to improve flight training, cockpit displays and other necessary flight deck operations, NASA is drawing on the experiences of some 15,000 test pilots who are already in the air with American Airlines. The two groups announced this week a five-year partnership that will allow the space agency to observe, "how flight crews interact with technology in real time, in real life," NASA Langley researcher Steve Young explained. "It gives us a better idea not only about how current technology works, but how designs for future flight deck systems can provide the most impact."
American Airlines planes will get ViaSat's powerful WiFi
American Airlines is equipping a fleet of Boeing 737 MAX planes with in-flight WiFi other than Gogo's. It has inked a deal with California-based company ViaSat, which also provides internet connection to some of Virgin America's newest A320 planes. ViaSat promises an "at home" experience by providing you with a (12 Mbps) connection strong enough to stream movies and music. It uses a high-capacity satellite system, and it's launching another satellite in 2019 to make its connection even faster. You can't confirm that speed on an AA plane just yet, though: the 100 737 MAX planes the carrier ordered won't be delivered until September 2017.
American Airlines drops its lawsuit against Gogo
Last week, American Airlines filed a lawsuit against GoGo to get out of its contract with the in-flight internet provider. The airline found "materially" better service with a competing company, a situation that would force Gogo to provide a new proposal that American could ultimately reject if it found a better deal or service elsewhere. It looks like American and Gogo have found better ground, however -- Gogo just announced that American dismissed its lawsuit. It's not too surprising, as Gogo said last week it was in the process of preparing a competing proposal to match what American had found with rival provider ViaSat.
American Airlines knows Gogo's in-flight WiFi sucks
Sick of horrendously slow in-flight WiFi? It turns out you're not alone. American Airlines just filed suit against Gogo, the leading WiFi provider for most airlines, for not living up to its claims of matching or exceeding competitor speeds. Specifically, American Airlines discovered that Gogo rival ViaSat offered "materially" improved service over Gogo's older cell tower technology. As per terms of Gogo's contract, American Airlines is then allowed to terminate the agreement with Gogo and seek services elsewhere.
American Airlines teams up with Uber for door to door travel
American Airlines has jumped into bed with Uber in order to create a service that's as "door to door" as the pair can make. The idea is that fliers who can afford not to take the airport shuttle will get a "seamless travel experience." For instance, if you're flying with AA, you can set a reminder for an Uber pickup the moment you buy your ticket. Then, when you land, the app will guide you through the terminal and point you to your nearest Uber pickup location. That is, assuming that you're landing at one of 11 locations in the US that AA has added maps to its app, which include Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Fort Worth or LAX. So, uh, good work on that one.
American Airlines flights delayed because of iPad app glitch
A couple of years ago, American Airlines swapped out its pilots' "flight bag" for iPads loaded with the terminal charts and other reference materials they're required to carry. Losing the 35 lbs of materials for a tablet (some 8,000 of them) was a good tradeoff, but tonight an apparent glitch is grounding some of the airline's flights. American Airlines confirmed the issue in a statement to Engadget, saying "Some flights are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads", and that some of the flights had to return to the gate for a WiFi connection to fix the issue. According to the Dallas Morning News several dozen flights are affected, although it's not clear what caused the glitch.
Hacking the friendly skies: creating apps for wearables at 36,000 feet
Few activities are as taxing, time-consuming and mentally draining as air travel, and there are hundreds of thousands of travel-related apps to help us get from point A to point B with as little hassle as possible. But there's always room for improvement, especially now that wearables like Android Wear, the Pebble smartwatch and embedded sensors are growing in popularity. While it's already possible to scan boarding passes or receive flight notifications on smartwatches, there are surely other use cases that would ease the burden of flying. Wearable World, which teaches wearable-related startups the ins and outs of the business, partnered with American Airlines to create what it's billing as "the first in-air wearables hackathon." Teams were asked to come up with the best travel app for wearables, and the finalists got to jump on one of the airline's newest planes to polish their app and show it off to real-life passengers.
A traveler's guide to in-flight WiFi
You're on a nice, long domestic flight. In coach. There's a screaming baby two rows up; the pages of the in-flight magazine are stuck together with someone else's chewing gum; and the 9-inch overhead CRT is showing a 2-year-old episode of New Girl that you've already seen a half-dozen times -- without sound, because you always end up in the seat with a broken headphone jack. Oh, and you have five hours left to go to LAX. If you play your cards right (and pack some noise-canceling headphones), your next cross-country haul could be a whole lot more pleasant, thanks to in-flight WiFi. Nearly all of the major US airlines now offer WiFi in the sky. Thousands of passengers flying above North America are online right now, watching adorable kittens meow on YouTube, reading up on their destinations or researching a new device right here on Engadget. But while some carriers offer service on many of their planes, few have it available fleet-wide, making it difficult to plan your travel around connectivity. So, which airlines offer the best service and how can you sort what you'll have on board? Join us here as we explore the turbulent world of WiFi at 30,000 feet.
United, American Airlines allow electronics use during takeoff and landing too
Travelers on Delta and JetBlue said goodbye to switching their mobile devices off during takeoff and landing just hours after the FAA changed its regulations, and now other airlines have joined the party. American Airlines announced a couple of days ago that the FAA had cleared its flights for the new rules, and United made a similar announcement this afternoon. While larger items like laptops will still need to be stowed at certain points in your journey, the FAA's decision means handheld personal devices like most phones, tablets, e-readers and portable games stay on. There are a few exceptions of course, and in-flight voice calls are still a no-no, but at least you can finally leave those magazines and newspapers at the gate.
Delta and JetBlue now permit personal electronics use during all stages of flight
That was fast -- mere hours after the FAA said it would allow the use of personal electronics during takeoff and landing, airlines have begun flying under the relaxed rules. Passengers on both Delta and JetBlue aircraft are now free to use their mobile gadgets at nearly every stage of flight. Other major US carriers have yet to officially embrace the lightened regulations, although American Airlines tells Bloomberg that it's already applying for clearance. For the rest, it's likely just a matter of time -- but not too much time, we hope.
iPad now being used in every American Airlines cockpit
American Airlines has announced the deployment of more than 8,000 iPads to the cockpits of its fleet as part of a new electronic flight bag for pilots. The roll out has lead to American discontinuing paper revisions to its terminal charts, saving money, paper and mess in the future. To put a number on how much effect the switch will have, the electronic flight bag is replacing more than 35 pounds of paper-based reference materials that pilots carry in their carry-on kitbag. By removing that extra weight from their flights American will save a minimum of 400,000 gallons of fuel and $1.2 million dollars annually, based on current fuel prices. In addition, pilots will save more time thanks to the elimination of the hours it could take each month to update their paper manuals. Updating the iPad software takes minutes. "Our focus on technological improvement throughout our operation has never been stronger as we continue to build the new American," said Patrick O'Keeffe, American's Vice President – Airline Operations Technology. "As the first major commercial airline to successfully complete the Electronic Flight Bag transition across its fleet, we are proud to count this among our other successful programs that provide the tools our people need to perform their duties safely and efficiently." Here's a video look at the system that will be in place from now on in American Airlines flights. Correction: This story originally reported the company would save $12 million annually due to the change over. We were missing a period, and the actual amount is $1.2 million annually.
American Airlines finishes rolling out iPad flight bags
Some airlines and aircraft makers have made a big deal of moving to tablet-based flight bags, but few can say they've made a complete switch. American Airlines can -- it just finished deploying iPad-based kits to all its cockpits, which can use the tablets at every stage of flight. The move lets the carrier ditch paper charts and manuals across the board, with an according round of savings in fuel and weight. Regional partners haven't made the leap to digital, although that may come soon: American Eagle Airlines will have the choice of using iPad flight bags starting on July 10th. While most of us in the passenger seats will never notice the difference, the shift will likely help American's bottom line.
US Air Force is saving huge money with iPads
The US Air Force has opened up about how the iPad will help it realize over US$50 million in savings over the next 10 years, as 18,000 iPads replace flight manuals. In an interview with The Street, US Air Force Major Brian Moritz described the huge drop in costs. "We're saving about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and limiting the need for each crew member to carry a 30- to 40-pound paper pile [of flight manuals]. It adds up to quite a lot of weight in paper." The Street notes that specific weight savings varies across aircraft. For instance, the iPads eliminate 250 pounds from a four-person C-17, and up to 490 pounds in a C-5 with a crew of 10. In a related story from the civilian world, American Airlines recently described how its adoption of iPads has reduced the number of pilots reporting back injuries. American's VP of Airline Operations, Patrick O'Keeffe recently noted at the Tablet Strategy Conference in New York City, "We've reduced the single biggest source of pilot injuries, carrying those packs. And we are now able to save $1 million in fuel costs and stop printing all the page revisions."
