Tag Archives for wifi.
American has an amusing commercial about how much we’ve come to rely on inflight wifi. And American does a great job with domestic wifi, as Delta does and United does not. In fact the major reason I’ve continued to fly American Airlines is because United’s connectivity is so poor (and because Delta’s route network doesn’t work super well for me in Austin).
This new ad could have just as easily been made by Delta, and there it would have been even more persuasive.
American Airlines has done a great job adding fast internet across their fleet. Connectivity – and thus inflight productivity – is a great reason to choose American (or Delta) over competitors.
There are, however, a few challenges, including the ‘dark’ legacy US Airways 757s and poor-performing international wifi from Panasonic.
A week ago I covered a rumor that American Airlines is considering offering free inflight wifi. Now with additional confirmation from well-placed company sources I can report that the airline expects to offer onboard internet for free.
Delta is moving to offer free inflight internet, matching JetBlue, and American has been explicit that an industry move in this direction could force them to do the same.
I know all the jokes about Gogo internet (‘NoGo’). But I find it indispensable. It’s internet on an airplane moving at speeds in excess of 500 miles an hour. And the latest technology is much faster than the older installs, though they’ve had their challenges even with new satellite internet to be sure.
I’ve got a unique problem and no one at Gogo has any useful suggestions for me. I’m out of ideas. So I’m hoping you might have some.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
