Save Your Pennies For Pillows

Southwest has recently installed the necessary equipment for Wi-Fi access to one of its aircraft and has plans to equip three more planes by early March 2009. During the trial period, while the airline is testing the technology, customers can experience Wi-Fi access for free. Southwest also announced it is partnering with Yahoo! to offer passengers a special in-flight homepage with convenient access to specific information about their destination. This data could give pertinent facts to travelers about taxis, restaurants, and hotels at the location to which they are flying.

It seems that more and more people don't want to be without their wireless internet services no matter where they are or how far they travel. Airlines are investigating the technology that would allow customers to have internet access in the air to accommodate passengers' needs and demands. For the duration of the testing period, customers with laptops and smartphones will be able to try the technology for free. A price after the free trial period concludes is set at Delta at $9.95 for flights lasting less than three hours and $12.95 for lengthier flights.

Airlines such as Delta, American, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines are all trying out the technology. The Wi-Fi systems available on Southwest and Alaska Airlines are based on satellites. Delta and American are using air-to-ground broadband services. Virgin America is also trying the in-flight internet technology for a limited time, and JetBlue is offering passengers email and text services onboard one aircraft.

In the beginning, executives at Delta Airlines have said they will track customers' usage of the Wi-Fi service to determine if limits and regulations should be placed on users. The airlines have already figured out ways to block access to pornography and other questionable sites, as well as those internet sites that offer voice services, so as not to annoy the passenger seated next to you. Experts now say the problem with Wi-Fi services is that many passengers not utilizing the service say it is an annoyance. In fact, in surveys already taken, it has been noted that the majority of passengers have stated that they don't want to listen to your cell phone conversations, or hear your laptop speak, so cell phones and the VoIP services will not be permitted with U.S. airlines' in-flight Wi-Fi services that are offered.

Industry watchers also warn that in-flight Wi-Fi services could be just another add-on service to give the airlines an additional revenue source. However, not every passenger is going to be a Wi-Fi user and not everyone is going to want to pay an additional fee to access the service. Only time will tell what the end results will be. The idea has been around for quite a while, but airlines are just now beginning to equip aircraft with Wi-Fi services utilizing new technology. Previous internet connection efforts made by Boeing through a company called Connexion were deemed too expensive to keep in service at $30.00 per person per flight, and the service ended in 2006.

Southwest and Alaska Airlines are utilizing the satellite-based technology of the company, Row 44. This company is based in Westlake Village, California. Row 44 knows how important cost is to customers, and they are pulling out all the stops to try and bring a less expensive solution to Wi-Fi services in the air. American and Delta Airlines are using the air-to-ground broadband services of the company, Aircell. In Europe, the Wi-Fi offerings are different as the leading European in-flight service, OnAir, does let passengers use their cell phones. OnAir utilizes Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satellite and the network of GSM/GPRS.

 

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