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Quote:
Originally Posted by uva185
I have a flight CVG-SEA on Saturday on the 737-800. Seatguru says this plane has wi-fi. Is that correct, is it up and running on this plane yet?
I saw the same thing today looking at Seatguru for my 737-800 CVG-PHX, but when you clicked on the icon there was no additional information. I was also under the impression the MD-88's were going to be first. I guess we will both find out this weekend!
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SeatGuru is not definitive here folks. I wouldn't count on WiFi on the plane because SeatGuru said so. (Also I was on a 738 2 days ago with no mention of WiFi at all.)
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I was thumbing through the December onboard Skymiles magazine on Monday and wi-fi is now mentioned as an ammenity on "selected aircraft." I don't think they had that in the Nov issue... what I read also said that if wi-fi was avail on my aircraft there would be a separate instructional card in the seatback pocket. I imagine they're pretty close to rolling this out on some planes.
I am posting on Wifi now on an MD-88 from DTW-ATL. Streaming a show from Hulu, surfing FT, with my corporate e-mail in the background, with nary a hickup.
Are the Flight Attendants announcing that the plane is WiFi capable (for those planes that are so equipped)?
They did on this flight. Also, while boarding a noticed a decal on the outside of the plane indicating such, as well as scattered gogo brochures in the seatback pockets.
I've put this in the other WiFi thread, but I'm pretty impressed with the speed and connection consistency. I've speed tested on three flights in the last 2 weeks... 2 were running about 750 kpbs and one was up to 1.2 mbps. Streaming 360p on Hulu was no problem, but 480p took a bout 5 min to buffer and had a couple of drops/re-buffers. I honestly wish most hotel WiFi was as quick and (seemingly) reliable as the DL wifi.
I've put this in the other WiFi thread, but I'm pretty impressed with the speed and connection consistency. I've speed tested on three flights in the last 2 weeks... 2 were running about 750 kpbs and one was up to 1.2 mbps. Streaming 360p on Hulu was no problem, but 480p took a bout 5 min to buffer and had a couple of drops/re-buffers. I honestly wish most hotel WiFi was as quick and (seemingly) reliable as the DL wifi.
I wouldn't get too used to it. There are only two aviation WiFi networks in the US. It's not like DL have exclusive use of them. Right now the system is WAY under utilized, so the speed is good. As DL and other carriers continue their roll outs that's going to change.
Because, if I recall correctly, DL wanted to provide a pseudo-IFE option on its aircraft that didn't have in-flight entertainment, thus the MD-80/90 and 757s are first. Also, I imagine that it's a cheap way to earn additional revenue and offset some of the higher operating costs of the MD/757 fleets, compared to the 737s.
The system they're using is provided by a company called AirCell that sells its commercial in-flight wi-fi as "GoGo." Over the past decade, AirCell has built-out a huge network of ground-based transmitters across the continental United States that were originally aimed at the business aircraft market but their services have been expanded to commercial operators. I believe AirCell provides the equipment for low or no cost to the airline and then gives the airline a piece of the action. An additional benefit for the airline is that the install is fairly simple - it can be done overnight.
Thus, for now, the system doesn't work beyond the the lower 48 which, I imagine, is another reason DL is installing it in the MDs/757s - on the whole, neither aircraft flies a lot outside of the Lower 48.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if DL eventually bags their IFE for their aircraft that primarily fly over the Lower 48. The Air Cell install is much lighter than the total weight of the IFE (read: fuel savings) and laptops have become so ubiquitous - especially with the advent of cheap netbooks - that it's probably a better experience for DL's customers if they can decide what they want to read/listen to by streaming audio. Potentially, I suppose DL could install a light server and charge a nominal fee for wirelessly-streamed videos on-demand.
