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JetBlue and American Airlines to Test On Flight Internet Connectivity
By Robert | January 9, 2008
We already know that American Airlines and JetBlue are trying to implement Internet access to passengers using their services. What most of us do not know yet is that there are some differences in the approach of these companies. JetBlue plans to only offer IM connectivity and e-mail while American Airlines wants to bring full Internet access to customers. Also, do not expect to have such facilities on every single flight as only some will be equipped with the needed technology, mostly for tests and we also think that there is a need to see whether or not it will be beneficial for the company as well.
JetBlue scheduled the first test flight next week on a flight going from New York to San Francisco, flight number 641, an Airbus 320. This aircraft is actually the company’s standard test airplane for all entertainment or multimedia services that are needed to be evaluated. Also, JetBlue only obtained clearance for the Airbus 320 by the FAA when talking about Internet connectivity. This is not crucial as 104 of the 134 planes JetBlue has are Airbus 320s.
American Airlines is not as fast as JetBlue but we are also talking about full connectivity. An exact date was not set but we do know that it will be next year when the service will be included in the services of the Boeing 767 fleet they currently own. On the other hand, this airplane only makes out 18% of the American Airlines fleet, although it is expected that the system will be implemented in other plane models if there is enough success. Also, American Airlines said that they are only considering putting the system to use on transcontinental flights. This is logical as only 26% of customers are to pay for Internet access on a four hour flight or less according to surveys. This is comparable with the 45% expected on flights that are longer. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the future with on-flight Internet access as it is slowly becoming a reality.
Topics: Tech News |
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