Showing posts with label wifi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wifi. Show all posts

26 May, 2023

Raytheon Technologies and Vista to bring LuxStream unlimited data plan to passengers.....

 


Raytheon Technologies, Collins Aerospace business announced its plan to bring unlimited data to the customers of Vista, a leading private aviation group. Using Collins' LuxStream, which runs exclusively on the SES's high-throughput satellite (HTS) network, Vista customers can now enjoy fast, reliable, unlimited internet access for the duration of their flights.

Since 2019, Vista has installed LuxStream on more than 75 aircraft in its fleet. Now, LuxStream will be installed on more than 100 aircraft. The HTS hardware and solution, exclusive to Collins, allows customers to conduct video conference calls, stream videos, and send emails while inflight.

"Our relationships with Vista and SES deliver exceptional in-flight connectivity experiences to customers," said Jen Schopfer, president of Connected Aviation Solutions at Collins Aerospace. "A flat hourly rate for global Wi-Fi is a market first, but just the latest in a series of customer-centric innovations that has come from our years of collaboration."

Nick van der Meer, Chief Operating Officer of Vista, said, "At Vista, we are always looking to enhance the customer experience. Whether flying for business or leisure, we know high-speed connectivity, without data limits, is a key value proposition for our customers. Owing to the speeds, many of our customers prefer LuxStream for their in-flight connectivity, and we can now give them unlimited data simply by connecting to the aircraft's Wi-Fi."

"LuxStream is the result of a tremendous collaboration between SES and Collins Aerospace. Our network of high-throughput satellites enables Vista's passengers to experience the same kind of high-speed connectivity services they enjoy on land. This announcement marks the next step in delivering premium services and meeting the needs of business aviation providers and passengers globally," said Steve Collar, CEO of SES.

01 March, 2023

Intelsat completes multi-orbit inflight Wi-Fi tests

Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), today announced the successful completion of inflight testing of its new electronically steered array (ESA) antenna. This antenna enables global streaming-fast Wi-Fi service and is available to airlines around the world.

Intelsat’s ESA is the only commercially available antenna in the aviation industry that can operate between low Earth orbit satellites and geostationary satellites. Announced in June 2022, the new antenna has been accumulating flight hours with Ball, Stellar Blu Solutions, Intelsat and OneWeb engineers validating antenna and network performance.

In early 2023, Intelsat successfully demonstrated the new system to global airlines on the company’s Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet outfitted with the new antenna and inflight Wi-Fi system. With peak inflight download speeds exceeding 275Mbps, airline customers were able to participate in live virtual meetings, stream media and stay connected without interruptions.

By using the Intelsat and OneWeb satellite networks together, Intelsat can offer the benefits of LEO’s low latency along with the redundancy GEO provides to address network hotspots that LEO networks on their own cannot address. Whether aircraft are flying polar regions or over the most populated cities in the world, the ESA antenna will offer seamless coverage from takeoff to touchdown.

At just 90 pounds and with no moving parts, the new antenna stands just 3.5 inches tall on the top of the aircraft. The terminal’s low profile has the lowest drag of any product Intelsat has ever offered, reducing CO2 emissions for airlines.

25 April, 2022

Hawaiian Airlines to offer free, high-speed Starlink internet on its transpacific fleet


Hawaiian Airlines today became the first major airline to announce an agreement with Starlink to provide complimentary high-speed, low-latency broadband internet access to every guest onboard flights between the islands and the continental U.S, Asia and Oceania. Hawai‘i’s largest and longest-serving carrier will equip its Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft, as well as an incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9s, with Starlink’s industry-leading satellite internet connectivity service.

“When we launch with Starlink we will have the best connectivity experience available in the air,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “We waited until technology caught up with our high standards for guest experience, but it will be worth the wait. Our guests can look forward to fast, seamless and free Wi-Fi to complement our award-winning onboard Hawaiian hospitality.”




-“Hawaiian Airlines is ensuring its passengers will experience high-speed internet the way we expect it in the 21st century, making hassles like downloading movies before takeoff a relic of the past,” said SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Commercial Sales Jonathan Hofeller. “With Starlink, the inflight experience is greatly simplified so that once passengers step onboard the plane the internet works seamlessly throughout their flight. Soon, passengers will enjoy all the benefits of having the world’s best inflight internet connectivity from the comfort of their seats.”

In Starlink‘s low-Earth orbit constellation of advanced satellites, the latest of which utilize a revolutionary laser mesh network, Hawaiian found an ideal solution to ensure reliable, high-speed, low-latency connectivity on transpacific flights. Guests will be able to stream content, play games live with friends on the ground, work and collaborate in real-time, plan their Hawai‘i vacation, or share their special island moments on social media. Connecting to the internet will be seamless when guests walk onboard, without registration pages or payment portals.

Hawaiian and Starlink are in the initial stages of implementation and expect to begin installing the product on select aircraft next year. Hawaiian is not currently planning to deploy the service on its Boeing 717 aircraft that operate short flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

Now in its 93rd year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawaiʻi's biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers approximately 130 daily flights within the Hawaiian Islands, daily nonstop flights between Hawaiʻi and 16 U.S. gateway cities – more than any other airline – as well as service connecting Honolulu and American Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Tahiti.

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23 April, 2021

Viasat in-flight Wi-Fi to be installed on KLM's European fleet


The Dutch airline KLM has contracted Viasat Inc to add in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity to 18 of the airlines' Boeing 737-800 fleet and 21 of its Embraer E195 aircraft it was confirmed this week.

 The 737-800's are expected to be outfitted with Viasat's latest in-flight connectivity (IFC) equipment by the end of 2021, and in-service by early 2022, and specifics around the Embraer E195 fleet will be announced at a later time. Both fleets will operate European flight routes only.

In-flight connectivity service tiers


KLM will initially offer three in-flight connectivity packages—Messaging, Surf, and Stream—on all Viasat-equipped aircraft. The Messaging option will give all passengers 30-minutes of free text messaging via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, among other messaging apps. The Surf and Stream options, which can be purchased in-flight, will give passengers the ability to do more on board, with options to surf the internet/email as well as enjoy full video and audio streaming.

30 January, 2019

American Airlines customers can access Apple Music for FREE in flight from Friday

Good news for passengers of one of the mega-carriers of North America as American Airlines opens up access to the whole of Apple Music from this Friday onwards.  This will give American's passengers the abilitiy to stream more than 50 million songs, playlists and music videos on any domestic flight equipped with Viasat satellite Wi-Fi. American is the first commercial airline to provide exclusive access to Apple Music through complimentary inflight Wi-Fi access.

No matter how you like to spend your time in the air, there’s something for everyone on American flights. American continues to build a world-class customer experience and is investing in new entertainment and connectivity options throughout its fleet. 

In addition to launching Apple Music, American is also:

Installing high-speed Wi-Fi on domestic aircraft, with more than 570 aircraft complete today, and full completion mid-2019
Adding free live TV, currently on more than 400 domestic and 155 international aircraft, with additional rollouts continuing this year
Providing free access to wireless entertainment throughout American’s fleet, bringing great movies and television shows right to each customer’s device
Installing power at every seat on mainline aircraft and two-class regional jets
Wi-Fi access when flying on Viasat-equipped planes.

08 January, 2019

Norwegian becomes first low-cost airline to introduce free Wi-Fi on intercontinental flights

Norwegian  the popular low-cost airline is in the process of upgrading the passenger experience for its long-haul customers with the introduction of inflight Wi-Fi on its long-haul fleet of aircraft.

Voted Skytrax 2018 World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline, Norwegian became the first carrier to offer free Wi-Fi on all European routes in 2011 and the first European airline to successfully offer live television in the skies in 2015. Since 2013, Norwegian has rapidly grown to become a leading long-haul airline offering more than 60 long-haul routes between Europe, the USA, South America and Asia serviced by modern, state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient aircraft.

Norwegian begins rollout of Wi-Fi connectivity on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX fleet

Free Wi-Fi for the full duration of long-haul flights and high-speed option fast enough to stream movies

The rollout of Wi-Fi to be completed on more than 50% of Dreamliner fleet by 2020


05 June, 2018

In-flight WiFi is the new revenue stream, even for low-cost airlines. The cost of inflight WiFi

It seems hardly a week goes by these days without some airline somewhere in the world saying that they are bringing in-flight wifi to their fleet.  The last few weeks no exception with one of the latest airlines to tell the world about its future sky-high connectivity plans being the ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines in the USA. 


Recently the airline announced it has signed a deal with the Thales Group to introduce Wi-Fi on all of its planes by summer 2019, claiming to be will also become the first ultra-low-cost carrier in the Americas to offer Wi-Fi. 

“We’re thrilled to enhance the in-flight Guest experience with the addition of new-generation Wi-Fi,” said Ted Christie, Spirit Airline’s President. “By next summer, every plane in our fleet should be fully equipped to keep our Guests connected in the skies. It’s just one of the many investments we’ve made and will continue to make for our Guests.”  Of course, Ted's pleased with Spirit charging an average price of $6.50 for high-speed web browsing and streaming depending on route and demand, it represents a big revenue stream for the airline. 

Many other airlines, including low-cost ones, have already or are planning to introduce wifi capabilities to their aircraft as they hunt for even more of our pounds, dollars or euros.  Here's a brief example of airlines offering wifi onboard and some of the sky-high fees for connecting to the net at 10,000 feet and above!

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