May 22, 2013, 7:52 am
Last edit by: gengar
Wifi Completion Status (Last Updated: 1/16/2015)
United Wi-Fi installation
Mainland USA
Worldwide Coverage
Worldwide Coverage Area
Satellite coverage may experience outages for reasons such as government regulations, weather and switching between satellite regions.
Gogo (PS Flights) Coverage Area
Pricing Data Points
City Pair / ~ Duration / Standard Cost / Premium Cost / Comments on Quality
747-400 (Panasonic):
A319/A320 (Panasonic):
City Pair / ~ Duration / Standard or Limited Access Cost / Premium or Full Access Cost / Comments on Quality
737s (Thales LiveTV): [prices are per-hour]
United Wi-Fi installation
Mainland USA
- B737 - 187/253 Complete (74%)
- B757 - 26/133 Complete (20%)
Worldwide Coverage
- A319 - 55/55 Complete (100%)
- A320 - 97/97 Complete (100%)
- B747 - 24/24 Complete (100%)
- B767 - 2/51 Complete (4%)
- B777 - 42/74 Complete (57%)
- B787 - 3/14 Complete (21%)
Worldwide Coverage Area
Gogo (PS Flights) Coverage Area
Pricing Data Points
City Pair / ~ Duration / Standard Cost / Premium Cost / Comments on Quality
747-400 (Panasonic):
- SFO-FRA / 10 hrs / ?? / $22.99 / (5/2013) Peak speed was 6.5Mbps down, 2Mbps up. 700ms latency. awesome. (unavaca)
- HNL-NRT / 8 hrs / $14.99 / $22.99 / The service worked all the way across the pacific, I was surprised at how reliable it was. The speediest I did topped out at .26mb, hardly "premium", but if you're ok with general web browsing and chatting with iMessage, it worked like a champ.
- LAX-SYD / 14 hrs / $16.99 / No premium options. (Col Ronson) 3Mbps download speed test, worked for 95% of flight
- SFO-HKG / 15 hrs / $16.99 / No premium option / (1/2014) (unavaca) speedtest immediately after wi-fi was available gave 700ms, 7Mbit down, 0.5Mbit up
- BKK-NRT / 5 hr / $16.99 / No premium option / (SS255)
- PEK-SFO / 11 hr / $16.99 / No premium option / Net access kept going down over the Pacific / Ookla speedtest 3.09 Mbps down, 0.23 Mbps up, 894ms RTT.
A319/A320 (Panasonic):
- EWR-SFO / 6 hrs / $12.99 / $19.99 (IIRC)
- EWR-SFO / 6 hrs / $14.99 / no premium option (3/2014) (greg99) speedtest 2498kbps d/l and an awesome 95kbps u/l (not a typo) 578ms latency
- SFO-PHL / ~5.5 hrs / $14.99 / no premium option (4/2014) (qisu) didn't do speed test. good part of the flight had slow speed or no connection at all.
- PHL-SFO / 6 hrs / $12.99 / no premium option (4/2014) (qisu) speedtest 2-3megabits down.
- PHL-IAH / 4 hrs / $9.99 / $12.99 (IIRC, standard may have been $7.99?)
- PHL-IAH / 3 hrs / $6.99 / no premium option [10/2013]
- ORD-LAS / 3.5 hrs / $7.99 / No premium option. (lenscap)
- ORD-SEA / 4 hrs / $9.99 / No premium option. (qisu)
- ORD-LAX / 4 hrs / $8.99 / No premium option / speedtest peak 3mbps, average 600kbps to 1.5mbps
- ORD-YVR / 4 hrs / $8.99 / No premium option / speedtest 3.86 Mbps to 10.70 Mbps down / 0.18 to 0.37 Mbps up - very reliable throughout the flight
- IAD-LAX / 5 hrs / $12.99 / No premium option / speedtest peak 1.5mbps, average 400kbps to 800kbps, worked for 80% of flight but pretty spotty at times, but at least FA announced signal was poor
- IAD-SEA / 5 hrs / $12.99 / No premium option / A319
- SFO-LAX / 1 hr / $3.99 / No premium option / A319 (greg99)
- SFO-ORD / 4 hr / $9.99 / No premium option / A320 / Pretty reliable, up most of the flight
- IAH-SEA / 4.5 hrs / $8.99 / no premium option A320 (6/2014) (qisu) speedtest 5megabits down, 0.2 megabits up.
City Pair / ~ Duration / Standard or Limited Access Cost / Premium or Full Access Cost / Comments on Quality
737s (Thales LiveTV): [prices are per-hour]
- IAH-TPA / ?? / $1 / $2 / (2/2014) (ssullivan) 23-25Mbps downstream (Premium/full access service). No service over Gulf of Mexico.
- MIA-EWR / 2 hr / $1 / $2 / (3/2014) (hirohito888) 16Mbps down, 1Mbps up [not sure if this is for the regular or full access]
- PDX-IAH / 4 hr / $1 / $2 / (4/2014) (qisu) regular was very slow, speed test about 100kilobits down.
- SEA-IAH / 4 hr / $1 / $2 / (5/2014) (edcho) full access was speedy. 22 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. Ping was 700ms.
- SEA-IAH / 4 hr / $1 / $2 / (6/2014) (qisu) full access, 5-15 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up.
United Launches Satellite-Based Wi-Fi Service
Jan 15, 2013, 1:00 pm
#47
In Memoriam
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Easton, CT, USA
Programs: ua prem exec, Former hilton diamond
Posts: 31,801
Why can't I use Netflix or other streaming video websites?
Streaming video from a website requires extensive bandwidth and will not work as well on a plane as it does on the ground. United Wi-Fi streaming video content, available on select aircraft, requires a small amount of bandwidth by accessing video stored on the aircraft.
So it seems you can stream, just not from the internet, only from their servers on board.
Jan 15, 2013, 1:09 pm
#48
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Platinum, Starbucks Gold, PF Chang's Warrior, Wine Century 100
Posts: 1,104
Jan 15, 2013, 1:48 pm
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,166
Anything other than No and No would be shocking
Jan 15, 2013, 1:53 pm
#50
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Charlotte
Programs: UA 1k, Marriott LT Titanium, '20 Ambassador
Posts: 150
Read through all the press releases and FAQs, no mention of anything regarding real speeds. Anyone seen anything theoretical, practical, or from experience on a simliarly equipped international carrier?
Jan 15, 2013, 1:58 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5,814
No mmorpg gaming for you
.
Jan 15, 2013, 2:02 pm
#52
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: CLE
Programs: UA Platinum, Starbucks Gold, PF Chang's Warrior, Wine Century 100
Posts: 1,104
http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler....for-2012-2013/
FlyNet is a shared resource. The FlyNet service supports downloads at speeds of about 5 Mbps with upload speeds of about 1 Mbps but the speed at an individual seat will depend on how many passengers are using the service and the kinds of applications that are being run, given that some applications are more bandwidth intensive than others.
Last edited by paule123; Jan 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Jan 15, 2013, 2:16 pm
#53
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: DC|NYC
Programs: UA GS, DL Plat, Marriott Bonvoy LIfetime Titanium/SPG refugee, Hertz Prez, Amtrak Select
Posts: 3,201
If it's the same Panasonic Ku band gear that Lufthansa uses, this might be helpful:
http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler....for-2012-2013/
In my experience on an LH TATL flight, I got about 1Mbps down/80Kbps up, with 600-900 ms ping times.
http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler....for-2012-2013/
In my experience on an LH TATL flight, I got about 1Mbps down/80Kbps up, with 600-900 ms ping times.
). I always fly J if that matters (router/pax ratio in a cabin maybe?).
Jan 15, 2013, 2:19 pm
#54
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,152
New threads coming soon:
- Sunspots interfered with my WiFi connection, what compensation is due?
- I have faster internet on my smart phone than on United.
- Why didn't my flight on United Express have WiFi?
- The person next to me used their iPad (or tablet) all flight and kept me up... what compensation should I get?
- The flight tracker said we arrive at 10pm, but we arrived at 10:15pm causing me to miss TMZ
- Sunspots interfered with my WiFi connection, what compensation is due?
- I have faster internet on my smart phone than on United.
- Why didn't my flight on United Express have WiFi?
- The person next to me used their iPad (or tablet) all flight and kept me up... what compensation should I get?
- The flight tracker said we arrive at 10pm, but we arrived at 10:15pm causing me to miss TMZ
Jan 15, 2013, 2:27 pm
#55
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DCA
Programs: UA LT 1K, AA EXP, Bonvoy LT Titan, Avis PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,658
Will there be a monthly (unlimited) pricing plan?
LH is also using Panasonic system.
LH is also using Panasonic system.
Jan 15, 2013, 2:37 pm
#56
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SFO and OAK
Programs: FAF, Hyatt <>, SPG PLT
Posts: 2,240
Jan 15, 2013, 2:40 pm
#57
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,152
Jan 15, 2013, 2:41 pm
#58
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,603
Jan 15, 2013, 2:42 pm
#59
Company Representative, United Airlines
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chicago, Houston, or somewhere in between
Posts: 2,176
Shannon Kelly
Director, Customer Insights
United Airlines
Jan 15, 2013, 2:52 pm
#60
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: EWR, PHL
Programs: UA Silver, DL GM, Hertz 5*, Marriott Plat
Posts: 55
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...l#post20014245
but here are the results of the two speed tests that I did:
Upon reaching cruising altitude
Ping: 763ms
Upload: [test timed out]
Download: 6.56Mbps
About 3 hours into the flight
Ping: 657ms
Upload: 0.12Mbps
Download: 8.43Mbps
The internet was fast enough to stream Spotify via Wi-Fi, but didn't experience anything faster. I have photos of the seatback card and the wi-fi registration page that I can upload later today or tomorrow.