American Airlines and JetBlue to Offer In-Flight Wi-Fi
It appears as if this whole Wi-Fi on airlines thing is finally taking off (sorry, couldn't help it). Four months after announcing that it intends to put Wi-Fi on some of its planes, American Airlines is starting to reval some specifics on the plan. Wi-Fi access to a broadband data connection will be provided by Aircell (which has also partnered with Virgin) on transcontinental 767-200 flights starting in 2008. The best part is the price, which we were worried about back in August when we heard the first rumblings of this program. How much, you ask? Well, it's going to cost $0. Thats right, it's free.
Not to be out done, JetBlue yesterday announced that it, too, would be offering free Wi-Fi on some of its planes -- as long as you're using it to access your Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, or BlackBerry Mail. This amounts to nothing more than a tease. The airline might as well not offer anything at all.
So far, efforts to bring the Internet to the air have failed. And pretty miserably, we might add. Connexion and Lufthansa (among other international airlines) teamed up a few years ago, but the service was shut down last December since no one seemed willing to pay for it.
Will these new efforts succeed where past ones have failed? In the case of American Airlines, we'd say there is a strong possibility, since it's offering access to any site, just like on the ground! And it makes a lot of sense to focus only on long-haul flights, since a long 14-hour flight to Tokyo is exactly when you need to be getting online.
Let's just hope people don't start using Skype or other Internet phone services and yap away the hours.
From CrunchGear
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rd75 said 3:10PM on 12-07-2007
I would use it provided I could access any site within reasoon (ie., no xxx sites) and the cost was reasonable or minimal.
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Suzie said 4:05PM on 12-07-2007
How did we ever manage before all of this high tech stuff was around. There is nothing nor no one that important that they can't wait until the plan lands. On top of which, if there is an emergency there's nothing one can do until the plane lands anyway. Instead of high tech why not going back to saving meals on the plane like the used to do with not additional charge since air fare is so expensive anyway.
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Michael Bierman said 5:36PM on 12-07-2007
The airlines need to get real, most of us would rather have the meals again, and not be charged for every breath we take. I now find flying very unpleasant and unfriendly, forget it. I used to enjoy flying too.
Michael of Art
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Justin said 9:27AM on 12-08-2007
Well, I have something to say to you 2 idiots. Do you know how to run a multi-million/billion dollar airline business? Do you know how to fly a jet with 200 people?? Do you know how to keep terrorists off of the planes??? If so, why don't you start your own freakin business and make it the way you want it, instead of complaining about the rest of them. I agree, flying commercial definitely isn't on the top of my list, so let it go. Nothing in this world is "great" anymore, and nothing is "how it used to be."
So, I'll be lookin for "your" "Airline that is perfect and caters to EVERYONE'S needs".
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stefano said 11:11PM on 12-08-2007
That would be great, and at cost zero even better, it was about time they did something like this.
http://www.webyaa.com/category/news
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Joe said 9:43AM on 12-10-2007
now if the battery would only last as long as the flight..................
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Tommy D said 11:15AM on 12-10-2007
There goes the joy of silence. If your on vacation and still hooked up the the web, cell etc. 24/7 why bother going.
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AJ said 11:38AM on 12-10-2007
All people do is complain and complain no one ever says good things i guess if you grew up thinking negative you have nothing better to say I think it's great move having WiFi .. to those .. Unfriendly Airline ? well works both ways.. Unfriendly passengers thats what you get in return ... I think airline staff are just over worked and less paid for all the BS they get from unruly passengers. you know who you are.
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PJ said 4:32PM on 1-02-2008
Great - would love to use it. However, what a timing - the other 'tech news' item says FAA to ban lithium batteries on the planes. If its a total ban then what god is that WiFi?
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Joyce Stout said 9:40PM on 1-02-2008
I personally do not use my cell phone or computer while I am on any air plane but before I leave and when I reach my destination I do use the cell phone to contact the people picking me up or if I am picking someone up. With all the other security it is difficult to locate any individual waiting for your arrival or their transportation. They need to come up with a way to check the batteries maybe? I wish I had the perfect answer but I know someone out there is smarter than me and could come up with a alternative solution to this problem. It is a shame that our world has turned into this kinda of nightmare of the daily worry of someone trying to destroy our wonderful world God created for all of us. Joyce
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Wal90 said 12:54AM on 1-03-2008
I was surveyed by American about the Wi-Fi thing because I fly them quite a bit for business. For those of you that don't know, you can bring a car adaptor or a power converter on their flights and plug in under the seats. They have this on rows marked with the lightening bolt. I don't know about the other airlines. You will have to contact them to see.
I think this is a wonderful convenience. I'm surprised that it is free. I think it will help pass the time on some of these long flights. There's only so much book reading, movie watching and nap taking you can do. Eventually, you'll want to go on the internet, even if it's to see what's in the news or even watch a tv show on-line.
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Chris said 10:15AM on 2-11-2008
It would be nice if someone would evaluate the health risks of wi-fi before inflicting it on everyone indiscriminately.
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/columns/article.php/3095831
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USAFbrat said 4:11AM on 3-09-2008
Wow. Won't that make all of the planes fall out of the sky? Dosen't Wi-Fi use the technology as the common cell phone? If so then Wi-Fi would " interfere with the aircraft navigational systems". That is supposedly why at present the FAA bans cell phones,wireless devices,and battery operated devices.
As a pilot, I know for a fact that many privately owned propeller driven aircraft from as early as the mid 70s have cellular phones aboard. I have used them on several different planes while I was flying and never had a navigational issues.
Maybe someone out there can enlighten me about the technology because it appears we have been given a bunch of B.S. by the airlines.
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