WiFi on E190 and E170
 

WiFi on the E-jets, something mentioned informally in passing is now official:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fronti....html?x=0&.v=1

--Starts at $4.95 based on flight length

--All 32 aircraft should be finished by year end

--"the carrier will continue to research inflight connectivity options to further enhance the Frontier travel experience"

This is a smart move. It needed to be done to remain competitive within the industry.

Hopefully the further research leads to installation in the Airbus fleet as well.

Hopefully the further research will lead to power outlets as well!

+110 :)

Fleet Wide WiFi and fleet wide DirecTV need to be a high priority.

I still haven't figured out why this hasn't happened yet.

At the very least, install power strips on the floor allowing for two outlets per row (one on each side of the aircraft) or every few rows.

WiFi is a nice addition but it does need to be installed fleet wide at some point. Perhaps the priority is to get it on the E170/E190 aircraft because a) they don't have Live TV and b) those planes tend to be allocated heavily towards business markets in MKE where demand may be stronger.

I agree with RSVP that TVs need to be installed on the E190s. The argument that Live TV would cause the E190s to be weight restricted doesn't really hold water with me. Air Canada and JetBlue don't seem to have any problems with aircraft weight and they operate the E190s on some fairly long routes.

QFT.

Even crapperific Amtrak has power outlets at every seat on the routes I use.

Would the side of the fuselage make more sense in terms of access/maneuverability?

Speaking as somone who (apparently) would rather curse the darkness than light a candle when it comes to replacing his four-minute laptop battery, onboard power would be fantastic. However....

(1) It seems like more of a niceity than a competitive requirement. With a few exceptions (including a fair number AA planes) you find very very little power in coach on anything smaller than a 767 or 757. The huge majority of planes that competitors operate in F9/YX markets do not have power. Even on those airlines with some domesitc, the availability seems pretty iffy in coach based on what particular aircraft version is used.

(2) I don't think anybody US domestic has any sort of power on planes smaller than about 125 seats.

(3) As a free amenitiy, onboard power is an expense with no direct offsetting revenue. It needs to be cheap and light, and the more expensive and heavier it gets, the less cost-justified it can be. F9/YX is an LCC and needs to be to succeed.

If it is not too expensive, I like the idea of putting the power just in the Stretch section to further incent people to upgrade. Also, the added legroom of those seats makes using a full-sized laptop a better propostion.

It might, although for someone not at the window it means cords over or under the window passengers. If they'd consider putting it on the E190/E170, those seats do not have a center pillar between them, so I'm not sure if that complicates placing the power port between two seats by your knees as some airlines do.

Having onboard power would be a great differentiation between F9/YX and the competition, however some differentiations are cost-effective, and others are not.

Is that just Acela, or have they expanded power beyond that line? No fair counting bathroom shaver outlets!

I've used power outlets on the Hiawatha line. It's been a few years now but then it was about every other car had power outlets.

I wondered about that...I used to be on the Hiawatha fairly often buy my travel patterns changed, and I haven't been on much in several years. It seems like a great business-heavy route to have laptop power, even if it is only 90 minutes.

One additional comment regarding the wi-fi annoucement. No mention of it in the MKE Journal-Sentinel today. Not sure if that is a function of them not interested, or it not being presented to them in such a way to make them interested. But all the spin Frontier can get is beneficial.

Other carriers are certainly getting publicity about their Wi-Fi.

http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver...0000%5E3130971

There is an interesting quote in the story from the Frontier spokesperson.

Kudos to Steve Jagler for noting the news today ...http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2010/4...light-internet

I think that some lurkers on this board are just not on the ball. Milwaukee media usually follow up on our leads more quickly. :)

I have not seen any Journal Sentinel coverage this week concerning Tuesday's Fed Court ruling against Republic in regard to the Teamsters' Union claim, either. Other local media did pick up on the ruling, after it was posted here.

Largely, I think you're right.

I have a slightly off perspective: 1) totally spoiled now by Clear's 4G/3G coverage, and 2) being a former mid-tier elite who has shifted almost all domestic leisure travel to short haul West Coast trips > 50% of which are easier/more pleasurably done on Amtrak (see below) than AS or UA.

A good reminder that I need to come up to speed on YX a/c. :)

:D

Cascades (EUG-YVR) for sure. My last four or five legs since June '09 whether I've been in coach or Biz, every seat had an outlet (or dual outlet?) along the bottom edge of the wall. The Coast Starlight has Wifi so at the very least the Pacific Parlor car has power (I would hope!), though I know for a fact that one of the dome cars *does not* have power :sob: :sob:. I would also venture the Pacific Surfliner has some power since Wifi has been up and running a while now.

Back on topic, lemme ask a naive question: is WiMax a viable technology on a/c? (I'm an apps jockey, not network junkie!)

WiMax infrastructure works very similarly to cell infrastructure so the problem would be devices jumping towers from 30k feet and going 600 mph. Even if they could figure this out on the WiMax standard, this is basically what GoGo does except using their own proprietary technology and probably wouldn't give you many benefits. Now what would be cool is if GoGo and Clear signed some sort of agreement where you could pay one monthly fee and get both.

From The Cranky Flier:

http://crankyflier.com/2010/04/28/fr...-190-aircraft/

Emphasis on 'cranky'. :p

LOL

I don't disagree with the desirability of having a standard IFE product customers can reliably get, and I hope they move that direction. However when it comes to Cranky's particular position:

(a) This may well not be the final word in what will be offered long term.

(b) Most airlines with IFE, especially on domestic routes, have a very mixed bag between different aircraft types and configurations.

(c) Other than JetBlue's E190's, I'm hard pressed to come up with aircraft in the 75-100 seat range with IFE on any US airline. I might be overlooking somebody, but it's not the norm.

Frontier could have decided to leave the E170/E190 fleet with out any IFE to keep them standard with the E145/E1335 fleet. That's more standard...would that have been better?

Call him cranky, but he is right.

IMO there needs to be some uniformity in the mainline fleet. (319, 190, 170)

Denver is a Hot and High airport. The new Frontier's largest hub is in Denver. I'd rather not have a ticket on a flight only to have the airline tell me the flight is weight restricted and can only carry 85 of the 99 booked passengers, so I have to take a bump along with 14 other ticked off people. If I'm being told correctly there may be weight issues with the 190's on Denver's hottest days without the TV equipment installed.

No, not IMO.

I guess I don't understand the intrinsic good in 'uniformity'. :confused: (Just scratching my head a bit here, not trying to stir anything up.)

If you fly a 190 on Frontier you should know what on board amenities you'll get. It shouldn't be a guessing game as to whether or not you have, for example, WiFi. Uniformity lets the consumer know what it is they can expect when they buy their ticket. Otherwise, it's a disservice to the paying customer.

Ohhhhhhh
 

If ONLY UA would do this...

I gotcha, MatthewT.

But you will know what onboard amenities you get when you fly a 190 on Frontier. All E190 and E170 aircraft will have WiFi. All Airbus aircraft will have Live TV. Not that difficult to figure out, and when people check in online they can clearly see what aircraft they are on if they have not already figured it out. (Might not be a bad idea for the new F9/YX to specifically put the IFE on the web check-in display.)

Almost nobody has the same IFE on all aircraft in their route system. Frontier will have IFE on all aircraft over 50 seats, which is something only a few US airlines can boast. This is so bad?

Why not place a small icon, indicating whether a particular flight has IFE or WiFi, in the airline's booking engine? That way, a customer will know what amenities will be accessible during that particular flight.

It would also be a way of promoting the service.

+1

It's great and I realize you won't have to guess. I was just explaining why uniformity is important because I agree with you.

I think the next step is installing Wifi on the Airbus fleet so you can at least have internet on all flights > 50 seats.

Like others I think it would be great if Frontier made it clear what IFE would be on the flights at booking.

Bryan Bedford remarked today at RAA convention that F9 will decide on in-flight wifi for Airbus fleet about 6-9 months following Gogo installation on the E-jets.

Also commented that IFE purchases are "quite sustantial" on 2+ hour flights.

What type of confusion is this going to cause with the IFE on the Airbus aircraft, but wi-fi on the E-Series?

I know when I switched my flying from United to Frontier several years ago it wasn't just for the better service, or the cute little animals, but because of those little televisions too. By having different systems on different aircraft, it seems to muddle the brand premise and even devalue it, because the average consumer isn't going to know what to expect on the aircraft when they fly F9.

It might cause some initial confusion but from what BB has said is that hardly anyone buys the TV service for < 2 hour flights, so it isn't so bad if they shift most of the < 2 hour flights to E70/E90 where you can use Wifi to catch Hulu. Hopefully they will implement some icons on their booking pages to clearly identify what type of IFE they can expect on their flights.

Google Chrome is providing free Wi-Fi on FL, DL, and VX holiday period flights this year.

http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/

If F9 Wi-Fi is up and running in time, how about offering the promotion on Frontier flights?

Per the earnings call it looks like WiFi should be turned on December 1.

Any word on pricing for that service? Will it be included with Ascent/Summit statuses like the TV is today on the Airbus?

Welcome to FlyerTalk and the Frontier forum.

There has not been any information released yet on either pricing or comping of service for elite ER members. It would not be unreasonable to think that there will be a promotional launch with reduced cost or free service for an introductory period and complimentary Wi-Fi for Ascent and Summit. However, it remains to be seen.

GoGo, F9's service provider, announced free Wi-Fi during the upcoming peak holiday travel season for DL, FL, and VX flights. IMHO, if Frontier's service is up and running by then, it should also be included in the promotion.

I think the conference call stated they would be turning the service on December 1. Hopefully it'll be included in the free promotion.

Thanks, long time reader, first time poster. I was on a couple of 190's this week and was wondering when they'd be turned on. I know I've hit a couple of routers in fight over the last few months.

This will really be a great enhancement for Frontier. They will be unique if every flight has either TV or internet!

Fingers crossed that it will either be free for Summit, or free with Verizon Aircard, or even free for flyertalk folks!

I seem to recall them mentioning that wi-fi would be free for Ascent and Summit just like TV is, but so far it's not clear on the website.

I would like to see them participate in the free wi-fi sponsored by Google Chrome, however there's a bit of danger in promoting something ahead of implementation. If they start pushing wi-fi (especially free wi-fi) but it ends up not being fully installed and functional as promised, that can tick customers off.

AirTran offered free wifi for elites when they launched GoGo, but it was for a limited time only. Elites have to pay now, except for the current Chrome promotion.

There is a delay in implementing the service, which was originally scheduled to be operational by the end of this year.

According to both a company tweet and revised schedule on http://www.frontiermidwest.com/weare1/timeline/, Wi-Fi installation commences end of Dec, with service probably still a few months away.