Any scuttlebutt yet on which aircraft it will be tested on and exactly when in Spring?

I know, I just can't tell you yet

guessing...

testing on transcon instead of west coast??

We do know its being launched on a 737-700, so my guess it'll be tested on all types of routes, except Hawaii, since those are operated on a 737-800. It will be nice to know!

Now for some speculation:

According to AS they operate 20 737-700 aircraft. Using another resource, planespotters, one can see the plane numbers of the aircraft. So, it's whittled down to 20 specific aircraft now, what else can we use to further determine which one will be no. 1?

Is there an accessible source of aircraft service history information? Someone's going to have to have installed the antenna...

Doing some additional "googling", I've found some recent articles with interesting tidbits about the upcoming service...

"free service for frequent fliers was among its options"
-CNN

"The airline isn�t looking at the satellite-based Internet service so much as a source of additional direct revenue for the airline, but rather as a way to differentiate the airline�s service from that of its rivals, he said.

�We haven�t penciled in any revenue in future budgets. I think it�s a use of technology for a better customer experience,� Jarvis said.

Alaska could become the first U.S. airline to equip its whole fleet for Internet service if its spring test flights prove the service technically feasible. It expects to have all of its planes equipped by the end of 2009"
-The News Tribune

"Alaska Airlines plans to run a month-long test of Row 44�s satellite-based system on its Boeing 737 aircraft this spring, and if the results are satisfactory, Alaska Airlines will equip all of its 114 airplanes with Row 44�s service."
-PC Today

Now if they would just test out power sources for our laptops that would be nice. But I do understand that would require a lot of wiring and maybe planes being out of service for a spell. Better hunt for a better battery.

OK, that's just cruel.

Ugh, I know. I've already gotten in an argument over this here. Not too many people see it our way, I guess (including, obviously, AS management).

I just flew CLT-ATL-SLC-ANC last night carrying two fully-charged batteries, and I ran out of juice somewhere over Kansas--a long way from Alaska! One battery is original to the computer (2.5 years old) and lasts about 45 minutes; the other is a year old and lasts about 1:50 under normal usage (brand new, I think it was somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00). At $80 a pop, if it were that important to me, I guess I could go for another one, but my computer backpack can only hold so much stuff! (And it's a matter of principle...)

I'd be fine on ANC-SEA flights, but I don't usually do just ANC-SEA. I don't know what they'd charge for a day pass for wireless Internet access, but if I knew my laptop were going to die halfway through my trip, I probably wouldn't spring for it.

But I know that most people fly shorter flights than I do, and most business travelers will not hesitate buying the pass, so therefore AS's grand experiment will likely prove successful and they'll fully implement it without at-seat power, leaving the few people in my position stuck...

(First, though I need to find a working Empower adapter. I have one that's a combo Empower and car cigarette lighter charger with changeable tips, but I've now tested it on three separate Empower-equipped DL planes and it was unsuccessful, so I'm pretty sure something's wrong with my adapter, although it works fine in the car...)

I think I remember them saying at a gold lunch last year that they were counting on batteries getting better and better in the future...

Isn't there an outlet in some of the lavatories and/or up in the galley? One could wire themselves... running an extension cord to their seat! (Sorry if I said this before, I really don't recall) And if one were truly desperate, take the laptop and charger into the lav, and charge it up in there =)

I heard a FA last week answer a guy who wanted to charge up his cell phone in there by saying that "that outlet surges real bad and I wouldn't plug anything in that outlet that is of any value..." She went on to say that it's only used by the cleaners to plug in their gear.

While a good idea I don't think I'd feel comfortable leaving the laptop plugged in in the can. Too many lookie lues.

Ohhh My!

What do we have here?

In-lav entertainment!

Nothing like three or four AC multioutlet strips hanging off of a single orange extension cord running under the lav door!

I'm surprised that outlet (for shaving and sprucing oneself up on those long MD80 flights to Russia) is still providing power! It should really be disconnected - lest we give some nutjob an idea to shock us in F!

I don't put much stock in that hope. I think David Pogue expresses it about as well as I could here (from his technology wish list posted in August of 2007):
Now, obviously battery technology has improved (or else today's higher-power computers wouldn't get the same three-hour llife as yesteryear's 300 MHz computers), and we've progressed from NiCad to LiIon and other technologies, but the factor of improvement is markedly less than the other examples he gave (not to mention that future increases in battery capacity, just like past ones, are likely to be equally matched by increases in power consumption).

I love reading Pogue, but even though Pogue's a geek, he's a lay geek and honestly isn't any more knowledgeable about the science behind the technology than I or any other technophile. Still, I think his layperson treatment of this subject is about as valid a summary as you'll find...

I think travel on four segments in one day is quite rare for the average traveler (other than those on here who want to maximize the segements). Then you should also consider for Alaska - what is the average length of flight? What is their longest? (ORD-ANC)

I think that if you are seriously about traveling and using a laptop inflight you should consider two things for your purchase: size and battery life.

On my newest computer I purchased an extra battery and both should provide me with 3+ hours. This should get me through AS's longest flight on the schedule.

Being educated on how to maximize battery life is another important aspect of to this discussion. I always make sure my wireless card is disabled before I board and will continue to do the same, but enable it occasionally if I want internet access to send and receive email.

I think money could be much better spent than on power ports and as a shareholder I am glad that AS management is not considering this option.