Airlines Add Wi-Fi as They Battle for Customer Revenue
Date : 06 Aug 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkSince American Airlines began testing Wi-Fi service on live flights in August 2007 and JetBlue Airways began its BetaBlue project in December 2007, other airlines are following suit, including Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
On Tuesday, Delta said it would roll out Wi-Fi access to passengers on its entire fleet for a fee. JetBlue, which has been collecting customer feedback, also plans to expand the service throughout its fleet.
"We are still interviewing customers and surveying them to find out what matters most to them," said Alison Eshelman, a spokesperson for JetBlue. "In June we expanded connectivity services to allow for AOL Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Mail, and Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts."
A major difference between Delta's offering and JetBlue is price. Delta passengers with wireless-enabled laptops, PDAs and smartphones can access the Internet, personal e-mail, and virtual private networks at $9.95 for three hours or less, or $12.95 on flights longer than three hours. JetBlue, however, said its service is currently free.
Will Wi-Fi Fly?
Aircell, the company equipping Delta with its Gogo Inflight Internet service, said these services are taking off.
"It is no longer, is this something we should be thinking about? It's in the mode of who has the right solution, who has proven or is in the process of proving they can bring this product to market," said John Happ, Aircell's executive vice president.
Currently, Aircell is testing its Gogo service on 15 American Boeing 767-200s that are mostly transcontinental flights over the three-hour mark. "That fleet is done and ready to go and are prepared for launch, which is eminent," Happ added. "They are the first contract and first airline that will be in commercial service."
Aircell officials said the service will also...