Virgin America Adding On-board WiFi
The new airline says it’s adding WiFi and other cool stuff to its on-board services. (Click on the press release named “Virgin America and AirCell to Take Broadband Internet to the Skies” for details, such as they are.
Virgin America is using the same provider as American Airlines. Another intriguing in-flight Internet provider is Row 44 (www.row44.com). Their system uses satellite, rather than air-tto-ground, communciations, meaning an airline could use Row 44 over both land and water. And, Row 44 tells me they are capable of providing Internet TV as well, which offers potential business benefits re: licensing and also means an airline can continue to offer live TV when an aircraft is flying outside American borders.
Are they going to filter out VoIP traffic? ’cause if not, the nightmare of loudly yammering seatmates is a whole lot closer than once it was.
Eric, great point. I once got a call from a friend who was using Skype to call me from a Lufthansa flight over Russia. I wondered just how annoying his fellow passengers were finding this….