Southwest latest to test in-flight Web access

In case you missed this from last week, Southwest says it will begin testing in-flight Internet service on some of its flights this year. The Dallas Morning News (free registration) writes “Southwest’s partner is Row 44, a California-based company that has already announced a partnership with Alaska Airlines to test its system on one airplane beginning this spring. Southwest hopes to start testing the technology on four of its Boeing 737 aircraft this summer.” The New York Times (free registration) says “Southwest passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices would have Internet access for e-mail and Web browsing after the tests and subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.”

The Times says the technology being used by Southwest would support cellphone and voice-over-IP calls. Despite that, airline spokeswoman Brandy King says “Southwest has not embraced voice calling.” Many passengers of all airlines have voiced opposition to opening up airplane cabins to potentially chatty seatmates. Southwest’s move follows tests now underway by JetBlue and American. As for AA, the Times writes the carrier last week “said it had finished the first aircraft installation of an Internet broadband connection aboard a Boeing 767-200 aircraft and will install and test the technology on all 15 such aircraft throughout the year. The 767-200s are used primarily for transcontinental flights.”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2008/01/in-flight-web.html

This entry was posted on January 29, 2008 at 6:51 am and is filed under Travel, USA Today. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.