BOS>SEA wifi
Mar 22, 2015, 6:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Body in the CLE, soul still in New England
Programs: In 2023? Does it matter? SPG/Marriott: Plat; DL: Plat; B6: Mosaic
Posts: 2,979
BOS>SEA wifi
Beginning a six month stretch where I will be flying BOS>Seattle (and returning) most weeks. Usually prefer DL (they have good flight options out of BOS), but liked Alaska's direct routes.
Of course, when I boarded the plane today, I was alarmed to hear the FA say that we wouldn't have internet due to a flight path that would be mainly over Canada. Which I cannot have, on a weekly basis, as I plan on using these 16 hours to get a lot of work done.
For regular flyers of these routes, is this a normal occurrence? If so, I may have to decamp to DL permanently.
Thank you...
Of course, when I boarded the plane today, I was alarmed to hear the FA say that we wouldn't have internet due to a flight path that would be mainly over Canada. Which I cannot have, on a weekly basis, as I plan on using these 16 hours to get a lot of work done.
For regular flyers of these routes, is this a normal occurrence? If so, I may have to decamp to DL permanently.
Thank you...
Mar 22, 2015, 7:12 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Sunny Seattle
Programs: AS MVPG 75K, HH Diamond
Posts: 539
That sounds odd. Gogo is live in Canada as of early last year, and it's even available on a number of Air Canada flights.
Anecdotally, when I've flown BOS-SEA and bought wifi in the last year or so, coverage sometimes gets flaky over the Great Lakes (probably heading right down the middle of Lake Superior?), but no trouble further west. I haven't checked to see whether our flight path took us north of the border over the land segment, but it was definitely live over southern Ontario.
Anecdotally, when I've flown BOS-SEA and bought wifi in the last year or so, coverage sometimes gets flaky over the Great Lakes (probably heading right down the middle of Lake Superior?), but no trouble further west. I haven't checked to see whether our flight path took us north of the border over the land segment, but it was definitely live over southern Ontario.
Mar 22, 2015, 7:32 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: WA, US
Programs: lots of little things
Posts: 705
BOS>SEA wifi
Alaska and Delta both utilize Gogo land-based Wi-Fi. If Alaska is flying more northerly on any given day to avoid headwinds then Delta likely will too, and have the same exact issues.
That being said, I think connectivity is a little less dependable for a portion of that routing, but not "unavailable."
That being said, I think connectivity is a little less dependable for a portion of that routing, but not "unavailable."
Mar 22, 2015, 7:42 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: PDX
Programs: AS 75K, BW Plat, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 10,721
Regardless of the route, anytime I've tried to use the only "free" website (alaskaair.com)....it's generally pretty slow....I don't mind because I'm just trying to pass the time looking up flight information, but I can't imagine actually trying to depend on in-flight internet to get actual "work" done (let alone pay $$ for it).
Mar 22, 2015, 8:29 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 61
I am a big user of go-go. I have a monthly unlimited plan across all go-go airlines. I usually try hard to either get work done or sleep.
In any case, in EWR-SEA I recall the internet flaking out for prob 20-40 minutes during some part of the trip.
I've done BOS-SEA and I recall the internet being good the whole trip.
Regarding how slow or fast the go go is.... it definitely depends on how business heavy the flight is. But definitely don't expect to do remote desktop or anything heavy like that.
Email, surfing is fine. I can stream spotify if I really want to 90% of my flights.
But the internet is like, 3G speeds if it's a full business flight and everyone pulls out their laptops...
In any case, in EWR-SEA I recall the internet flaking out for prob 20-40 minutes during some part of the trip.
I've done BOS-SEA and I recall the internet being good the whole trip.
Regarding how slow or fast the go go is.... it definitely depends on how business heavy the flight is. But definitely don't expect to do remote desktop or anything heavy like that.
Email, surfing is fine. I can stream spotify if I really want to 90% of my flights.
But the internet is like, 3G speeds if it's a full business flight and everyone pulls out their laptops...
Mar 22, 2015, 9:55 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: HIO
Programs: AS MVPG 75K (Pure AS)
Posts: 194
I've done that BOS-SEA run a number of times, maybe 8-10, and have gotten the north-of-the-border-no-Wifi announcement twice on that route. Have done the DCA-PDX run many more times than that, and never get it.
So it seems to be more endemic on the BOS leg (which makes sense, given the geography), but the relative prevalence is pretty infrequent, I think. And truth be told, after the admonition on those two flights, I didn't even try to use the GoGo. Given its expanding footprint northward, I bet it would have worked for some of it at least...
So it seems to be more endemic on the BOS leg (which makes sense, given the geography), but the relative prevalence is pretty infrequent, I think. And truth be told, after the admonition on those two flights, I didn't even try to use the GoGo. Given its expanding footprint northward, I bet it would have worked for some of it at least...
Mar 26, 2015, 10:03 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 91
In my (vast) experience, Gogo is downright unusable between Seattle and Boston/Newark. There are only a few spots where it is truly unavailable, but when it is available the bandwidth is atrocious. I have trouble just getting Outlook to sync.
Mar 26, 2015, 7:10 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 101
I haven't had a particular problem with gogo coverage even on SEA-BOS routings that spend time over Canada (and I haven't heard the disclaimer since the coverage expansion last year), though I agree on the flakiness over the great lakes. Works as well as it ever does on any airline, which is not great but good enough to sync email occasionally.
Mar 28, 2015, 7:43 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 73
wifi
I fly SEA-BOS about every other month. I tend to fly a typical business heavy day (outbound Monday, inbound Thursday evening). I almost always purchase Gogo on the outbound. I'm often left frustrated and bewildered that I have to pay ($18? I forget) for unusable bandwidth. Outlook refuses to sync and I'm usually left hanging with a spinning circle. By the time we start to descend, I'm often wondering how GoGo can charge me for such poor connectivity... but I've never sought reimbursement.
Anecdotal experience - but sometimes it seems like doing email from my iphone is more usable than outlook on a laptop. I really wish I could VPN and work on documents, but forget about that....
Anecdotal experience - but sometimes it seems like doing email from my iphone is more usable than outlook on a laptop. I really wish I could VPN and work on documents, but forget about that....
Jun 15, 2015, 2:08 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 101
A very specific update on this: on a recent SEA-BOS flight that was several hundred miles north of the border (northern Ontario) to miss some weather, gogo was still working. (Well, as well as it ever does on a full daytime flight.)
Ironically, going the other way we got the "won't work over Canada" warning. Despite not being true it's probably still a handy excuse for it sucking.
Ironically, going the other way we got the "won't work over Canada" warning. Despite not being true it's probably still a handy excuse for it sucking.