ViaSat Archives - TravelSkills

Are seatback screens becoming obsolete?

January 25, 2017

Seatback screens are still staying on American wide-bodies like this 787 -- for now. (Image: American)

Seatback screens are still staying on American Airlines wide-bodies like this 787 — for now. (Image: American)

American Airlines has decided to do without seatback video screens in its newest single-aisle planes, and it is betting that passengers won’t care.

The carrier is due to take delivery of its first four next-generation 737 MAX aircraft this year – it has ordered a total of 100 – and they will come without the traditional seatback screens. American will still offer the screens on wide-bodies used for international routes, for its three-class A321Ts used on lucrative transcontinental routes, and on some other single-aisle aircraft, including 40 A321s and other 737 models due for delivery this year.

Instead of using seatback screens, passengers on the new 737 MAX planes will be able to see entertainment programming on their personal electronic devices, the airline said in a memo to employees.

The carrier said more than 90 percent of AA passengers now bring along their own tablet, laptop or smartphone, and that passengers prefer to use those devices. The airline will allow passengers to access its collection of movies, TV programs and live TV at no charge.

Satellite-based Wi-Fi links will be available for a fee, so that passengers can stream on-demand video entertainment from other providers. All of American’s new 737 MAX aircraft, and several hundred of its other domestic planes, will be getting new satellite-based Wi-Fi technology from ViaSat, the same vendor used by JetBlue.

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will likely preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new technology will permit much faster Wi-Fi for easy video streaming from sources like Netflix and Amazon. The ViaSat Wi-Fi should be on about half of AA’s single-aisle fleet by mid-2018.

American hasn’t decided yet whether it will extend the “no screens” policy to other aircraft types in the future. But its memo to employees did say that the company expects seatback monitors to be “obsolete within a few years.”

Other carriers seem to be taking the same approach; United’s new 737-900s rely on entertainment streaming without video screens, and Alaska also uses streaming-only in-flight entertainment, although on longer flights it offers rental tablets that are preloaded with movie and TV programming.

Readers: Do you care if your domestic flight has a seatback screen as long as you can stream entertainment directly to your laptop or tablet at a reasonable speed?

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Faster, cheaper inflight wi-fi is going to take a while

November 9, 2016

Inflight wi-fi on American Airlines is changing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>American Airlines switches up wi-fi providers, Gogo pushes new satellite service and raises prices

In the latest airline effort to bring faster in-flight Wi-Fi to customers, American Airlines plans to move away from Gogo as the supplier for much of its domestic fleet, shifting that business to ViaSat instead.

According to the travel industry news site Skift.com, AA plans to make the switch to ViaSat on more than 500 domestic aircraft – although the changeover is expected to take several years.

Early this year, Gogo agreed to release American from an exclusivity clause in its Wi-Fi contract after the carrier had sued the provider for that relief so that it could look for a higher-speed alternative.

As a result, in June of this year American signed a deal with ViaSat to bring that firm’s satellite-based Wi-Fi technology to the 100 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft that it has ordered. And now AA is extending that embrace of ViaSat to hundreds more of its planes.

Airlines are shifting to Wi-Fi systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Although American had been one of Gogo’s first airline customers – a relationship going back to 2008 – it became troubled by the provider’s reliance on ground-based cell towers for aircraft communication as other suppliers developed faster satellite-based links. Gogo has since caught up with the trend by rolling out its own next-generation 2Ku satellite-based technology, and American will still go ahead with plans to install that on 140 of its aircraft.

Meanwhile, AA is using yet another supplier – Panasonic – to provide Wi-Fi on its long-haul international fleet. ViaSat has been moving quickly into the U.S. airline market; it also has deals with JetBlue, United and Virgin America.

Gogo continues to accumulate new business from its 2Ku satellite system. It recently signed on Air France-KLM, which plans to install it on 120 planes. In its recent earnings report, Gogo said it now has contracts for 2Ku Wi-Fi service on 1,500 aircraft of 13 airlines.

And Gogo continues to seek revenue boosts by raising its prices for passengers. Last month, the company raised the price from $16 to $19 for a full-day Wi-Fi pass purchased in advance in the Gogo website– although that is still a much better deal than the $50 or more you’ll pay in flight.

What’s been your recent experience using inflight wi-fi? Is it getting better or worse? On my Virgin America flight to/from DC last week, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed and reliability of the connection, but that’s not always the case!

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New Virgin America prices for faster wi-fi

April 11, 2016

Virgin America starts charging for fast satellite-based Wi-Fi this month. (Image: Virgin America)

For the past several months, Virgin America has been installing and testing a new satellite-based Wi-Fi system on 10 of its new A320s– and offering the service for free. Those tests have been successfully completed, and this month the airline will start charging for the faster in-flight Internet service, according to a Virgin America blog post.

Virgin said the tests of its new ViaSat satellite-based Wi-Fi found that it operates eight to 10 times faster than other in-flight systems, providing passengers with “speeds similar to what they have at home so they can stream everything from movies to TV shows, music and breaking news to their own devices.”

Effective this week, the Wi-Fi pricing on ViaSat-equipped A320s ranges from $4.99 for short flights (under two hours) to $17.99 for trips longer than five hours (e.g., transcontinental flights). Flights of two to three hours cost $7.99, three to four hours are $9.99 and four to five hour flights charge $13.99 for the fast Wi-Fi. For 5+ hour transcons, the fee will be $17.99. (That’s much cheaper than what you’ll pay for a standard buy-on-board Gogo pass for slower ground-based service, which now fetches over $50.)

Virgin America’s new satellite based wi-fi is fast enough to stream movies (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America said Elevate Gold members will get free ViaSat Wi-Fi through the end of the year, and will get emails with promo codes for access. Since Gogo and ViaSat are separate companies with different platforms, holders of monthly or annual passes for Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi – which is on the rest of Virgin’s fleet – can also access the ViaSat service for free, but will receive emails with access codes. An announcement at the beginning of a flight will tell passengers whether their aircraft has the ViaSat service. Virgin America does not currently offer Wi-Fi on its Hawaii routes, but it’s expected some time this summer.

The airline has teamed up with LinkedIn to offer free “professional development” video tutorials from Lynda.com to all passengers on the ViaSat-equipped planes.

The new service raises competitive questions on some routes – i.e., how will Virgin’s satellite service compete against the free Fly-Fi high-speed service that JetBlue offers on its fleet, especially as JetBlue appeals to more transcon business travelers with the expansion of its Mint premium cabins?

Last fall, JetBlue finished installing the satellite-based Fly-Fi service on its entire Airbus fleet, and it expects to have it on all its E190s by this fall. And so far, the service remains free.

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Surprised, delighted by Virgin America, United

September 29, 2015

Free internet on Virgin America’s new A320s compliments of Netflix (Photo: Virgin America)

Airlines are out to surprise and delight frequent travelers these days, and this week we have two more examples of how.

Free wi-fi: Starting today, those lucky enough to be flying on Virgin America’s newest Airbus A320 jets will get free wi-fi compliments of Netflix.

Now through mid-2016 Virgin has teamed up with Netflix to offer free wi-fi (and free streaming of content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black) onboard its brand new jets outfitted with the new ViaSat system.

Currently, there are only two of these shiny new A320s darting across the country, but Virgin will be deploying a new one every month through next June, for a total of 10.

The free wi-fi deal is only available on the new A320s with ViaSat– if you are on a Gogo equipped plane, you’ll still have to pay. (But here’s How to save $$ on pricey inflight wi-fi.) Regrettably, there is currently no way to know if the plane you are on has ViaSat or Gogo until you board.

To kickoff the announcement, Virgin is unveiling a House of Cards and Netflix-branded aircraft (pictured above). Also, beginning next month, it will be offering House of Cards seasons 1-3 on all flights via its recently-upgraded Red entertainment system.

Never one to miss out on a show-biz angle, Virgin America is calling in the stars for the launch of this new partnership today. Here’s a what they’ve got going on today:

To help kickoff the surprise unveiling of a House of Cards and Netflix-branded aircraft will be Michael Kelly, the Emmy-nominated star of the Netflix original series House of Cards. Kelly’s character Doug Stamper, who serves as President Frank Underwood’s loyal consultant and Machiavellian fixer, will drop in on Virgin America Flight 1 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). Guests onboard the flight will be able to binge-watch Netflix content in Virgin America’s mood-lit cabin and will be treated to a signature Whiskey Whistleblower cocktail, while Kelly – as Doug Stamper – dispenses some tongue-in-cheek, morally-ambiguous political advice over the aircraft’s intercom before take-off.

Secret Upgrades. Last week a new plan to surprise and delight United’s best customers with “secret” upgrades was revealed in an employee memo.

While United confirmed the existence of the program to TravelSkills, details such as criteria for selection remain sketchy.

According the BrianSumers.com blog, United intends to upgrade certain “high value customers” to first class from coach on domestic flights, or to international first class from business class on a segment-by-segment basis.

While most high value customers tend to score upgrades based on their status a few days before a flight, the new surprise and delight plan apparently notifies passengers a few weeks ahead of time.

Have you been the recipient of a mysterious “secret” upgrade yet? Were you surprised or delighted? Let us know!

And finally, one more thing that will surprise and delight you: FREE COFFEE! Today only. Check out my tweet!

Free coffee TODAY at Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Peets, more http://t.co/izzFGM9tU6 #TravelSkills
— Chris McGinnis (@cjmcginnis) September 29, 2015

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Changes coming fast for Virgin America wi-fi

July 7, 2015

A Virgin America passenger logs onto her iPad. (Image: Virgin America)

The next 10 Airbus A320s delivered to Virgin America Airlines will have a new passenger enhancement: Satellite-based Wi-Fi that the carrier says will deliver data speeds eight to 10 times faster than any other in-flight Wi-Fi systems.

Virgin said it is partnering with ViaSat, Inc. — the same company that JetBlue is using for its next-generation Fly-Fi service. Virgin’s fleet is currently equipped with Gogo’s ground-based Wi-Fi service.

While the new satellite technology will be installed on the next 10 new planes to be delivered, “the airline has not yet made a technology decision with respect to the rest of the fleet,” a spokesman told TravelSkills. That could prove troublesome for Virgin America regulars who hold annual or monthly Gogo passes and expect the service on every plane.

So it sounds like Gogo’s deal with Virgin could be under review. Hmm. Stay tuned…

In any case, the first of those new planes will start flying for Virgin in September of this year, and will offer free Internet service during a testing period. Virgin said it has not yet determined passenger pricing for the ViaSat links, which it noted will also make Wi-Fi available on over-water flights like the Hawaii service it will begin later this year.

“With this new technology, Virgin America will become the first commercial airline to offer an in-flight Wi-Fi service that can operate in both Ku- and Ka-band satellite networks on the same aircraft,” the spokesman said. Ka-band technology provides greater digital bandwidth than the earlier Ku-band.

With the ViaSat service, Virgin said, passengers should achieve Internet speeds like those they can get at home, allowing for streaming video on their connected devices. The new satellite partnership news comes just a month after Virgin announced an improved version of its Red in-flight entertainment system, called Red Beta. That will bring new high-resolution seatback screens and a new Android-based platform to the airline’s fleet.

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