High Speed In-Flight Wi-Fi On the Rise
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2014 was a banner year for consumers seeking high speed Internet onboard flights. According to a recent study from Routehappy, 52 airlines now offer broadband-quality in-flight Wi-Fi in most regions of the globe, with such services set to become increasingly ubiquitous in 2015 and beyond.
Routehappy’s study of in-flight Wi-Fi availability is the most comprehensive study yet on the subject. CEO Robert Albert explained the scope of the project: “Wi-Fi is one of the most sought after new amenities fliers want to access on their flights, and there has been significant investment by airlines since our last report,” Albert said. “Coverage is starting to be meaningful on flights worldwide, along with a wide variety of speeds, coverage availability, and pricing models, including free of charge. The industry needs a trustworthy source of truth for in-flight Wi-Fi offerings. Routehappy has decided to make it a focus area, and is pleased to have greatly enhanced our Wi-Fi data in our Scores & Happiness Factors API to benefit users of our customer sites.”
Routehappy’s study reveals that JetBlue and United Airlines are the ones to beat when it comes to offering top quality in-flight Wi-Fi. Only these airlines were included in the “Best Wi-Fi” category for offering the “most technically advanced systems capable of streaming video.”
JetBlue teamed up with integration partner LiveTV and broadband Internet service provider ViaSat to launch the Beta version of Fly-Fi®, which promises a robust online experience with speeds rivaling anything passengers would find on the ground. ViaSat’s Ka-band satellite technology offers browsing capacities up to 100 times greater than those provided by older Ku-band satellites. It’s Exede in the Air In-Flight Internet won the APEX Passenger Choice Award in 2014 for Best Achievement in Technology. Fly-Fi® power by Exede Internet is currently free, but passengers can pay to access a higher bandwidth version of the service.
United Airlines teamed up with Gogo to offer passengers a wide selection of Wi-Fi plans catering to different types of flyers, with hourly passes, day passes and month-to-month subscriptions available. None of United Airlines’ Wi-Fi options are complimentary, but given the implementation costs it seems highly likely that most airlines will charge for the service. United also runs ViaSat’s Exede service on their B737 aircraft, which allows for video streaming services.
Although JetBlue and United Airlines offer technologically superior in-flight browsing experiences, they still face competition from rival airlines in other categories. Delta Airlines has more Wi-Fi-ready planes than JetBlue and United Airlines combined, and Virgin Airlines offers Wi-Fi to a higher percentage of their economy class customers than any other airline.
As airlines continue to roll out their Wi-Fi integration plans and high-speed in-flight browsing begins to take off, the landscape of the competition will undoubtedly undergo some shifts, and Routehappy will be there to keep track of them.
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