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Airline Internet - Airlines Offering Wi-Fi in the Sky!
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Airline
Internet service has
been a long
time coming, and is finally here! Here I'm not referring
not Wi-Fi
access in airports, but rather on the airplane itself. In the
table below you'll find each of the major
airlines listed and what service they're offering. I
constantly
monitor
the news to learn about new services or changes in pricing, so please
check back often.
Once you narrow down the airline(s) that you use the most
frequently,
it's also a good idea to check their website for any frequent flyer
benefits related to WiFi access that you can take advantage of.
In
the table, you'll see a row called "Technology Provider." As
the
airlines themselves aren't experts in mobile broadband technology, they
partner with specific broadband service providers who basically install
and manage the program for them. Definitely a wise idea!
There are currently only a few big players, Aircell Gogo,
Row44,
and LiveTV. They either use cell tower or satellite
technology to
deliver airline Internet services. Scroll down to read a
discussion about these two technology approaches.
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| Airline |
Air
Canada |
AirTran
Airways |
Alaska Airlines |
American
Airlines |
Continental |
Delta |
Frontier Airlines |
JetBlue
Airways |
United
Airlines |
US Airways |
Southwest
Airlines |
Virgin America |
| Technology
Provider |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
LiveTV |
LiveTV |
Aircell
Gogo |
Aircell
Gogo |
Row
44 |
Aircell
Gogo |
| Cost
per Flight |
$9.95/flight
$7.95 (handhelds) |
$9.95
(<3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs) |
Available
on 6 flights FREE until July 31, afterwards min $4.95/flight
(expected to be similar to standard GoGo
pricing) |
$12.95 |
TBD
Expected to be:
$4.95
(<3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs) |
$9.95
(<3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs) |
TBD |
Free |
Laptops:
$4.95 (1.5 hrs)
$9.95 (3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs)
Handhelds:
$4.95 (1.5 hrs)
$7.95 (>1.5 hrs)
$12.95 (24 hr pass)
$14.95 (30 day pass) |
Laptops:
$4.95 (1.5 hrs)
$9.95 (3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs)
Handhelds:
$4.95 (1.5 hrs)
$7.95 (>3 hrs) |
Free
on test flights |
Laptops:
$5.95 (<1.5 hrs)
$9.95
(1.5-3 hrs)
$12.95 (>3 hrs)
$12.95 (24 hr pass)
$29.95 (30 day pass)
Handhels:
$4.95 (<1.5 hrs)
$7.95 (>1.5 hrs)
$12.95 (24 hr pass)
$14.95 (30 day pass) |
| Status |
Under
trial on select flights over US between Toronto, Montreal, LA |
Available
on all flights |
Expected
to rollout fleet by end of 2010 |
Available
mostly on transcontinental flights |
Expected
to rollout in 2010 |
Available
on all domestic flights |
Service
still under consideration |
Testing
stripped down service: send texts, Internet-based email, Amazon.com |
Available
on all Premium Service transcontinental flights |
Said
to be on all aircraft by June 2010 |
Available
in limited number of test flights |
Available
on all flights |
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The
Technology Behind
Airline Internet
You
might be asking yourself how do they get the "Internet signal" to the
plane? There are two different approaches to this:
- Point
Down to Cell Towers
- This
approach is as is as simple as installing antennas on the plane that
point downwards to traditional cell towers.
- The
potential disadvantage to this approach is that it would seem likely
that there could be coverage issues, particularly where there are large
distances between cell towers (like over long stretches of ocean).
I imagine that's why it's currently only being offered on
certain
flights where they know coverage will be consistent. Note
that I
have not yet read anything in particular that this is a real world
disadvantage. If I do, I will update this page!
2. Point
Up to Satellites
- This
approach involves
installing antennas that point up to satellites, which are in turn
connected to the Internet.
- It
would seem that this approach would have the benefit of guaranteed
coverage given that satellites are always accessible no matter where
you are. Though some of what I read infers that a
direct-to-cell-tower
approach (#1) results in faster speeds. Note that I
haven't
yet been able to confirm this.
Some
people will debate
which approach is better for providing airline Internet, and tout that
one technology will provide
faster speeds than another. In my opinion, both approaches
will
deliver
speeds that you and I (i.e. the average person) will see as essentially
the same user experience.
In
other words, if it works, and works consistently throughout an entire
flight, you and I, the customer, won't/shouldn't care about the actual
technology that's delivering it. We'll want to pay more
attention
to the price - the lower the better!
The In-Plane
Technology
This
is the easy part! What I mean by in-plane technology is how
are
you, the customer, going to get the signal that's been brought to the
airplane to your laptop or other Internet device? What
they're
using is simply Wi-Fi
to deliver the signal throughout the plane. Any Wi-Fi enabled
device will be able to access the signal. In other words, and
most importantly, no special hardware or equipment is required to
purchase or install on your end to access airline Internet service.
Once you pay for the service, so long as you have Wi-Fi on
your phone,
laptop, eReader, tablet computer, etc., you'll be good to go.
Airline Internet
Providers
Here's
a quick glance at the companies that are providing inflight airline
Internet
technology for the major airlines. Again, I recommend that
you
don't distract yourself too much with who the actual technology
provider is. So long as it works, and the price is right, the
technology behind it shouldn't matter too much to you, but for
completeness, I've included some information here that you may find
interesting.
| Provider |
Aircell
Gogo |
Row44 |
LiveTV |
| Technology Approach |
Cellular |
Satellite |
Satellite |
| Notes |
Offer a
subscription option
— good
only on the
single airline for which you sign up. Not
all carriers offer the monthly subscription option.
 |
Also
provide TV, phones & airline ops.
 |
Is
a subsidiary of JetBlue Airways
Also
provider of inflight TV, XM radio, weather & phones.
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