Delta Air Lines announced this week that it will be the first and only major US airline to offer broadband Wi-Fi access on its entire mainline fleet.
It’s about time.
Members of the founding team here at MoPR remember all too well the highly successful (and well covered) launch of enterprise roaming on the Connexion by Boeing service, an in-flight Internet service that was piloted with a series of international airlines.
Members of our team were instrumental in launching the service, garnering a significant amount of buzz for the new offering and even winning a few coveted industry awards for the PR program.
But it takes more than stellar PR for a product to truly take off (pun intended) and Connexion by Boeing never did. In August 2006, Boeing announced that it would discontinue its Connexion service, stating that, “the market for this service has not materialized as had been expected.”
When the announcement of the close of Connexion came down, some industry watchers cited the cost of the service as the largest barrier, while others were of the opinion that offering a power source in the seat was necessary if we were to use our computers to access the Internet for longer flights. Others recognized the huge financial burden that the airlines had to absorb when taking a plane out of service to complete the install of Connexion equipment. It was likely a combination of all of these factors that killed Connexion, coupled with the lack of availability on any major US airline.
Now enter Delta, two years later, and all the wiser. Delta will partner with Aircell’s Gogo service that will allow passengers to access the Internet via laptops, smartphones and PDAs. The fees are set to run $9.95 for flights under three hours and $12.95 for longer trips. This is less than the Connexion by Boeing service, and really not too bad considering most airports charge around the same price for in-terminal service.
The only foggy part is the timing. Noting “sometime next summer,” Delta isn’t too quick to give out specifics.
With this news and the acceleration we’ve seen since 2006 in mobile device adoption, it’s a safe bet that the number of business travelers will spike aboard Delta flights once this Internet offering takes effect. With the cost of flights on most major carries mirroring one another (and rising daily) travelers are now searching for the perks. Granted, not everyone will have the choice of traveling on the luxurious Emirates A380. Still, it doesn’t mean that passengers should have to sacrifice all luxuries when they board a plane. In an economy where airlines have resorted to charging for not only checked luggage and sodas, but also pillows and blankets, it’s good to see that at least one airline is looking to offer perks above and beyond (even if they come with a fee).
Are United, Continental, US Airways, and United far behind? American Airlines has also been testing the idea of using Aircell, but only on 15 of its planes. The other major carriers are throwing around the idea, though none have committed the way Delta has to an entire fleet. It will be interesting to watch as Delta’s competitors scramble to keep up. But then again, that’s what we passengers need: A little more competition in the skies.
JetBlue has Wi-Fi on just one international aircraft, but does offer 30 or so channels of live television via DirecTV in every seat on a large number of their domestic flights.
We wonder what is more compelling, live TV or access to the Internet? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.