Items tagged with airline
Let's face it, for the most part, air travel can be a hassle. Long security lines, having to walk what feels like 10 miles to make a connection, and the lugging around of our belongings while we deal with all of it can be a drain. It's for that reason that airline lounges can be a wonderful place to decompress - to get away from the noise of the airport to sit in a comfier chair and with faster Internet and some snacks. With all the hassle of the airport, these lounges can help lessen the pain. Of course, airline lounges are also rather exclusive. Unless you fly a lot and become an elite member of an airline program, you'll be shelling out good money to grant yourself access - often $50...
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Is it possible to take control of an airplane using an infotainment system as a gateway? Chris Roberts, a well-known hacker and security researcher with One World Labs, claims that it is. The FBI, who is investigating Roberts' claims, is taking no chances that he's incorrect. On April 15, Roberts posted this tweet: Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ? Shall we start playing with EICAS messages? "PASS OXYGEN ON" Anyone ? :)— Chris Roberts (@Sidragon1) April 15, 2015 It's as if Roberts was looking for trouble. And if that's the case, he certainly got it. Upon landing, he was greeted by two FBI agents and two police officers, and was then interrogated for a couple of hours. Before...
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Anyone who finds themselves strapped in an airplane on a regular basis knows that "chime" all too well. It's the sound of hitting 10,000 feet on the way up (liberating) and the sound of hitting 10,000 feet on the way down (depressing). Kidding aside, this arbitrary measure has somehow forced modern passengers to hold tight on booting up their tablets, phones, MP3 players and laptops... and for what reason? The myth of cellular radios screwing with a plane's GPS system has been busted time and time again, yet still, the runway is seemingly no place for a notebook. Oddly, it's okay to read a 50lb. copy of War and Peace while taking off, but you can't read the same novel on a near-weightless Kindle....
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While legacy fleets are getting older, fees are getting crazier, service is tanking, and prices are soaring -- airlines still have to figure out a way to convince you to fly. Well, those of you who don't have to fly for work, anyway. In recent years, the addition of Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi has become something of a norm, but Southwest is adding something a little extra. The company announced today that movies on demand are now available on all WiFi-equipped Southwest aircraft for only $5 per movie, per device. The airline also announced an upgrade to their television package. In 2012, Southwest became the only airline in the world to stream live television directly to Customers' personal devices....
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Internet in the skies seemed like a pipe dream just a few years ago. But now, it's a reality in many ways. Airlines are stocking up on Gogo routers, and rival companies are spreading their wings as well. But one area that hasn't seen too many of those Wi-Fi waves are international routes. But, that's changing too. Gogo and global satellite operator SES have today announced they have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with the goal of bringing high-speed, satellite-delivered Internet access to passengers aboard commercial airliners. That's a fancy way of saying that Gogo planes could see higher speeds, as well as wider availability. Gogo plans to tilize high-throughput Ku-band capacity...
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Is Wi-Fi in an airplane more important than leg room, an on-time departure or friendly service? Depends on who you ask, but it's clear that Virgin America places a high value on keeping their patrons connected while cruising the friendly skies. The airline has just announced that they're first to launch Gogo's ATG-4 technology. Gogo's ATG-4 service will significantly enhance the ATG network and improve aircraft WiFi capacity to the plane by approximately four times the current performance through the addition of directional antenna, dual-modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies. That's huge news for people who have struggled with Gogo's relatively slow service (it's not ISDN slow, but it's not exactly...
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Gogo Inflight Internet and SkyMall are teaming up to make your Christmas shopping a little easier. Thanks to a partnership between the two companies, you'll be able to access to SkyMall.com at no charge from Gogo-equipped aircraft on AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and United Airlines. The service is available on nearly 850 Gogo equipped aircraft. It will provide shoppers with access to over 22,000 products from over 300 retailers. Customers who spend $125 or more on merchandise with SkyMall via Gogo will receive an added bonus in the form of a free Gogo flight pass valid on any Gogo equipped flight. Gogo Inflight and SkyMall to Offer a Complimentary In-Flight Wi-Fi...
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When an airliner crashes, the first thing authorities look for are the "black boxes," the flight data and voice recorders. There are even black boxes in cars, today. And on Wednesday, the inventor of the venerable black box, David Warren, died at 85. David Warren was a research scientist at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne, Australia from 1952 - 1983; ironically, his father was killed in a plane crash in 1934. "Black Box" inventory, David Warren In 1953, Warren was involved in the investigation of the crash of the world's first jet airline, the de Havilland Comet. Since there had been no witnesses or survivors, Warren envisioned an automatic recorder which could survive a crash...
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For heavy flyers, in-flight Wi-Fi is an asset that is very much appreciated. As is on-seat power ports and in-flight TVs. In other words, people love keeping themselves occupied while flying, as to avoid thinking about just how long they'll be seated in one place. In-flight entertainment has evolved over the years, but many planes are still holding back from really upgrading and giving people what they need in the sky: a live connection to the world below. Less than half of the planes flying domestically in America right now are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi, and that's about to look even worse when compared to Asia's Cathay Pacific. The airline just recently revealed that they had signed a Memorandum...
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Apple's iPad is the talk of the tech world. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, and whether or not you think leaving Flash support out was a smart move, Steve Jobs and Company have managed to re-capture the attention of the public in a way that hasn't happened since the days of the original iPhone. Everyone is captivated, and everyone is looking to take advantage. Including a company that you've probably never heard of before: Bluebox Avionics. This company has leaped into the mainstream by making one of the smartest choices ever: integrating the world's most-talked-about Tablet PC into their next in-flight entertainment solution. Bluebox is a company that helps create and implement the...
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Continental Airlines plans to become the latest airline to offer Gogo Inflight Internet service beginning in the second quarter of next year. The service is expected to be available on Continental's fleet of 21 Boeing 757-300 aircraft that primarily serves domestic routes. "We've been closely watching technology developments to offer onboard connectivity for our customers," said Mark Bergsrud, Continental's senior vice president of marketing programs. "We are excited to be able to offer our customers Internet service, giving them the ability to connect to colleagues, friends and family and work, learn and play while flying." Like other Gogo Inflight Internet service offerings, Continental's...
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Aircell's Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi has found its way into quite a few planes, though we can safely say that finding Internet on a plane is much like finding a needle in an ocean. But, to be fair, finding Internet on planes when flying Virgin America is a cinch--after all, it's one of the few airlines in the world to equip every last one of its planes with in-flight Wi-Fi. In an effort to convince more people to make the long flights home to see relatives and grumpy in-laws this holiday season, the airline is teaming with Google in order to deliver free Wi-Fi to all those onboard. You read that correctly--FREE! The low-cost, high-style airline will be offering its Wi-Fi services gratis to passengers...
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For frequent fliers at select airports, paperless boarding is no big deal. In fact, it's a way of life they adopted well over a year ago. But for many, they still have to search tirelessly to find which pocket they crammed their boarding pass into before stripping down and cruising through security. In an effort to get more and more travelers onto flights without any additional paper (and paperwork), the Transportation Security Administration and Continental Airlines have jointly announced the expansion of the Paperless Boarding Pass pilot program at San Diego International Airport. The program will allow passengers to receive boarding passes electronically on their cell phones or PDAs, which...
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Maybe the new slogan for the ailing airline industry should be, "Fly the wi-fi skies."Perfect for the folks who start getting the shakes when they get on an airplane and are cut off from Internet access for the duration of their flight, more and more airlines are offering wi-fi Internet access, reports CNN. And those that don't are working on it. Right now it's just within North America, but it'd be hard to imagine it remaining that limited for long.Gogo Inflight Internet provides the access on Delta, American and Virgin America and will join United later this year, Aircell President/CEO Jack Blumenstein told the news channel. Aircell provides Gogo, which is installed on more than 190 commercial...
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If you travel as much as we do, then you have to be nearly sick of hearing the promises that airlines keep making about upcoming WiFi but not delivering. We feel your pain, and have actually managed to find a timetable that covers at least a few airlines for you. Keep in mind these are projections and subject to change:“Southwest said it would begin trials this summer with high-speed Internet service on four of its 737s. Alaska has said it would launch a trial in the same rough timeframe on one plane. Also this summer, American will launch onboard Internet service on its entire fleet of coast-to-coast 767s, and Virgin America plans on rolling out the service on all of its planes....
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Wow, soon we won't even need to show up. Oh wait, we still have to show up so we can be searched, x-rayed, prodded, and take off our shoes.Major airlines have agreed on a standard that will allow travelers to check in using a bar code sent to their cell phones, the International Air Transport Association said Thursday.Passengers will register their cell-phone number when buying a ticket and receive a bar code by text message, the group representing most commercial carriers said.That's actually very cool, and we understand the IATA wants to completely phase out paper tickets, but what happens if you leave your phone at home?...
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Alaska Airlines today announced plans to become the first U.S. airline to offer in-flight wi-fi. While this would keep people like us from becoming bored on a flight, it does have its downside.Seattle-based Alaska plans to install Westlake Village, Calif.-based Row 44's broadband service on one Boeing 737 jet next spring.Row 44's system Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. is designed to work over water and across international borders. Alaska Airlines said the service is intended to work on all its routes, which include flights within the lower 48 states and to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.If it works, Alaska may add the service to all 114 of its aircraft.So...
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The paperless office was forecast years ago - and never happened. But the global airlines body IATA has set the stage for the paperless air transit system, by placing what it called the last order for paper tickets, ever. "In just 278 more days, the paper ticket will become a collector's item," said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association. The changeover from paper would not only cut airlines' costs by $9 for every traveller but would also mean the industry -- criticized by environmentalists for its part in global warming -- would save 50,000 mature trees a year, he added. It's great that it will save trees,...
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