Alaska Airlines has initiated customer trials of a satellite based in-flight internet service on specially equipped Boeing 737 aircraft on flights between Seattle, WA and San Jose, CA. Alaska Airlines has partnered with Row44 to provide the in-flight broadband service. Passengers can use the service using any Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop, smartphone or portable media player. The trial is expected last for approximately 60 days after which the airline will determine the roll out schedule for commercial availability of the service to its entire fleet. Final pricing for the service has not been announced.
Archive for the 'Email' Category
Engadget reports that American Airlines will be testing the Gogo in-flight WiFi service on unspecified round-trip flight from New York’s JFK and Los Angeles’ LAX beginning on June 25. The service will be free for passengers during the testing, but will eventually run users $12.95 for flights greater than three hours and $9.95 for trips under that threshold.
The Wall Street Journal’s technology columnist Walt Mossberg takes a test flight on a business jet equipped with Aircell’s Gogo in-flight WiFi service to give the service a test run. It is a data only service and he used Dell and Apple laptops, a BlackBerry, a Windows Mobile phone and an iPhone (all WifI equipped) to perform all the most common online tasks.
Gogo launches in 2008, likely in July, on select flights on American Airlines and later in the year on Virgin America. The Gogo service will cost a flat fee of $12.95 for flights of three hours or longer, and $9.95 for shorter trips.
WSJ.com reports that JetBlue’s LiveTV unit will buy Verizon’s Airfone network which includes 100 air-to-ground US communication towers and Airfone’s corporate and government aviation clients on Jan. 01. This news comes on the heals of JetBlue’s announcement to expand it’s BetaBlue service of in-flight email.
JetBlue’s in-flight WiFi service started with only allowing passengers to check email via Yahoo Mail or BlackBerry Mail or chat with friends via Yahoo Messenger but that limited service is being expanded to include email via Gmail, AOL Mail, Hotmail and Windows Live Mail. JetBlue has also partnered with Amazon.com to offer a customized in-flight version of Amazon.com for shopping.
Both JetBlue and American Airlines are making plans to roll out onboard Internet access to passengers while in flight. Even though the plans are somewhat different in scope—JetBlue is only offering e-mail and IM connectivity, while American has plans for full ‘Net access—and will only initially be available on certain flights, both represent a significant step towards full online connectivity at 35,000 feet.
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