Why is wifi not delivered with the 787s?
 

Since the dreamliners are still being delivered, wouldn't it make sense to have the wifi installed at the factory instead of having to take the planes out of service some time later to do a wifi mod?

That's not a factory option ;)

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Wifi friendly!... In 2020 maybe

As of the first UA 787-9 deliveries it will be. Boeing only very recently approved the option from Panasonic to be line-fit on the birds. The previously delivered 787-8s will be retrofit as well.

That's good to know ^ will be a very welcome addition should I find myself on LAX-MEL.

Does the same apply to 737's? On Thurs I flew a brand, spankin' new one and the FA said they wanted to get it into service so fast that they didn't have time to install wifi yet...

Possibly, or it was waiting for an opening at the installation location, so they figured they would use it rather than have it sit idle.

That's one way to spin it. It's also possible they don't give a you know what.

Delta and American don't seem to have much of a problem getting their new planes into service with amenities loaded.

Factory installs must cost more than bringing each plane to Best Buy :D

Neither does UA these days. You're replying to a 10 month old post there.
It is not possible to get these wifi kits installed at the factory; Boeing simply doesn't do it. All of the connectivity vendors are working to get line-fit certified by Boeing but it is a long, complicated process and won't happen for the current 737 lines.

For the 787s the Panasonic kit is now available as a line-fit option and UA is taking delivery with that system installed.

don't let facts get in the way of an anti-UA tirade :rolleyes:

Really?

I was on a brand new 739 the other day, and there were no TVs like DL's and AA's have.

Nope - I was on a year+ old 739 last week that was dark nose-to-tail - no DTV, no wifi streaming, no wifi internet.

UA is pushing planes into service for more than a year with no entertainment amenities.

Meditation. Friendly.

And it will not get those. But it should have been inducted at SEA and immediately flown to INT where it got the wifi kit installed and then really entered service. You might not like which systems are installed as part of the configuration but they are no longer entering passenger service without being configured to the company's spec.
The new deliveries taken today are fitted before flying passengers. Ones from a year ago were not. I thought I made that pretty clear in my previous post vis a vis the "10 month old post" bit.

And, FWIW, the fleet tracking site suggests we're down to only three 739s without wifi installed. That should be finished pretty quickly.