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American Airlines to begin testing inflight broadband on Wednesday
Now even if the Moderators are on a plane, they can ban, not me, they wouldn't do that, no, but they can ban...Mr. Snuggles.
10:39 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 24, 2008
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
smarta@dallasnews.com
Some American Airlines Inc. transcontinental passengers will get a chance to browse the Internet in-flight on Wednesday.
The Fort Worth-based carrier and technology provider Aircell LLC said Tuesday that they are planning a dress rehearsal of the service on a round trip flight between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles.
A broader customer trial on flights between New York and San Francisco and New York and Miami is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks and the carrier is considering expanding to other fleet types, said H. Douglas Backelin, American's manager of inflight communications and technology.
"I think there will be great reception to the service," Mr. Backelin said. American and Aircell have spent the last three months conducting in-flight tests on the carrier's fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200 airplanes, but Wednesday will be the first time the airline's customers can give it a whirl.
Jack Blumenstein, Aircell's president and chief executive, said the Itasca, Ill.-based company is in talks with several other airlines and expects to have its system installed on hundreds of aircraft by the end of this year and thousands of aircraft by the end of 2009.
The technology could provide a new revenue stream for airlines, which are struggling to pay record fuel costs.
Aircell's "Gogo" service will be free on Wednesday, and will cost $12.95 for flights longer than three hours, and $9.95 for shorter ones once the system goes live. Access to American's Web site, Frommer's online travel guides, and some news headlines will be available for free.
Users will be able to download video and e-mail, use instant messaging and access secure corporate networks through the system using laptops or handheld wireless-enabled devices such as BlackBerrys.
Gogo will not enable any voice-based functions. And the system will prioritize the flow of data so that passengers downloading movies or large documents won't prevent other passengers from getting their e-mail.
American is among a handful of carriers to test broadband service in the air.
JetBlue Airways Corp. has tested a system that enables e-mail and text messaging only, and Virgin America Inc. is expected to test Gogo throughout its network late this summer or early fall.
Southwest Airlines Co. and Alaska Air Group's Alaska Airlines are expected to testa satellite-based system by Row 44 Inc. later this summer.
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
smarta@dallasnews.com
Some American Airlines Inc. transcontinental passengers will get a chance to browse the Internet in-flight on Wednesday.
The Fort Worth-based carrier and technology provider Aircell LLC said Tuesday that they are planning a dress rehearsal of the service on a round trip flight between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles.
A broader customer trial on flights between New York and San Francisco and New York and Miami is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks and the carrier is considering expanding to other fleet types, said H. Douglas Backelin, American's manager of inflight communications and technology.
"I think there will be great reception to the service," Mr. Backelin said. American and Aircell have spent the last three months conducting in-flight tests on the carrier's fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200 airplanes, but Wednesday will be the first time the airline's customers can give it a whirl.
Jack Blumenstein, Aircell's president and chief executive, said the Itasca, Ill.-based company is in talks with several other airlines and expects to have its system installed on hundreds of aircraft by the end of this year and thousands of aircraft by the end of 2009.
The technology could provide a new revenue stream for airlines, which are struggling to pay record fuel costs.
Aircell's "Gogo" service will be free on Wednesday, and will cost $12.95 for flights longer than three hours, and $9.95 for shorter ones once the system goes live. Access to American's Web site, Frommer's online travel guides, and some news headlines will be available for free.
Users will be able to download video and e-mail, use instant messaging and access secure corporate networks through the system using laptops or handheld wireless-enabled devices such as BlackBerrys.
Gogo will not enable any voice-based functions. And the system will prioritize the flow of data so that passengers downloading movies or large documents won't prevent other passengers from getting their e-mail.
American is among a handful of carriers to test broadband service in the air.
JetBlue Airways Corp. has tested a system that enables e-mail and text messaging only, and Virgin America Inc. is expected to test Gogo throughout its network late this summer or early fall.
Southwest Airlines Co. and Alaska Air Group's Alaska Airlines are expected to testa satellite-based system by Row 44 Inc. later this summer.
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