United Airlines adds Wi-Fi for international flights

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2013 10:16 User comments (12)

United Airlines has announced the introduction of satellite-based Wi-Fi for international flights.

The move is the first for a U.S.-based international carrier.

Boeing 747-400s that serve both trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes will be the first with the technology. Each will be equipped with Panasonic Avionics Corporation's Ku-band satellite technology.

"Satellite-based Wi-Fi service enables us to better serve our customers and offer them more of what they want in a global airline," added Jim Compton, our vice chairman and chief revenue officer. "With this new service, we continue to build the airline that customers want to fly."

Depending on how long the flight is, costs will vary. For "Standard" speeds, the prices are between $3.99 and $14.99 and "Accelerated" speeds will cost between $5.99 and $19.99.

Tags: Wi-Fi International united airlines

<Apple lets Chinese buyers purchase iPhones in installments >AT&T to offer $100 credit with purchase of Nexus 7 with contract

12 user comments

116.1.2013 00:16

cjdevesa

Send private message to this user

Newbie

"to better serve our customers"

What a load of PR BS, its another cash grab

216.1.2013 06:35

dali

Send private message to this user

Member

Originally posted by cjdevesa:
"to better serve our customers"

What a load of PR BS, its another cash grab

Agreed. Shame on them and those who pay a single cent for not being disconnected for a while. I won't use it if it isn't free. I lived without it until now, and I won't miss it after all.

316.1.2013 08:44

JST1946

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Who cares about Wi-Fi!I just want to fly from one place to another and make it there in one piece and get my free bag of peanuts.

416.1.2013 23:24

PraisesToAllah

Send private message to this user

Member

I'm not that desperate for Internet.

518.1.2013 08:33

ChikaraNZ

Send private message to this user

Junior Member

Originally posted by cjdevesa:
"to better serve our customers"

What a load of PR BS, its another cash grab

So every service any company offers at a price is a cash grab?
Little bit cynical, aren't we??
No-one is forcing their customers to use it if they don't want to pay those prices.
Personally, I can't imagine I'd need the internet that desperately when flying, but it's good they've offered it.

618.1.2013 10:32

dali

Send private message to this user

Member

Originally posted by ChikaraNZ:
So every service any company offers at a price is a cash grab?
Little bit cynical, aren't we??
No-one is forcing their customers to use it if they don't want to pay those prices.
Personally, I can't imagine I'd need the internet that desperately when flying, but it's good they've offered it.

It would be, if they offered it for free, which is, more or less, what it costs to them. Let passengers pay for higher speeds, offer a basic service for free. That should cover your costs and give you enough profit. But this is the greedy way of "serving their customers".

718.1.2013 23:04

GernBlan

Send private message to this user

Junior Member

Wait...isn't WiFi going to interfere with the electronics on the plane or has having me turn off all my electronics all this year just been blowing smoke right up my....

819.1.2013 06:16

dali

Send private message to this user

Member

Originally posted by GernBlan:
Wait...isn't WiFi going to interfere with the electronics on the plane or has having me turn off all my electronics all this year just been blowing smoke right up my....

Only during take-off and landing

919.1.2013 06:41

ChikaraNZ

Send private message to this user

Junior Member

Originally posted by dali:

Originally posted by GernBlan:
Wait...isn't WiFi going to interfere with the electronics on the plane or has having me turn off all my electronics all this year just been blowing smoke right up my....

Only during take-off and landing

Good point though... you can't use anything at all now during take-off and landing, and during flight it's supposed to be non-transmitting electronics only (eg with flight mode)...

1020.1.2013 18:27

nourishment

Send private message to this user

Newbie

It's great that they're offering it. Whether you pay or not is up to you bur personally I'd pay another $10 on top of my flight costs for wi-fi so I don't have to entertain myself with dumbed-down sitcoms and movies.

Secretly I have never turned off my mobile whilst flying and none of the planes I've been onboard have crashed (obviously!).

1120.1.2013 18:38

nourishment

Send private message to this user

Newbie

I'm sure if you look on the web there are many explanations why you can't use electronic devices on planes. In the old days you weren't even allowed to use a walkman/cd player. If planes were really at risk of crashing because of personal devices then f**k knows why terrorists use explosives :-)

I remain unconvinced and will keep my devices turned on bt on mute (I'm not a nutter!!).

1220.1.2013 18:41

dali

Send private message to this user

Member

Originally posted by ChikaraNZ:
Good point though... you can't use anything at all now during take-off and landing, and during flight it's supposed to be non-transmitting electronics only (eg with flight mode)...

Not for long, if that policy hasn't changed already:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/busin...ic-devices.html

Comments have been disabled for this article.

	VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31) VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times. 1 user comment
	Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09) Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier. 7 user comments
	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19) Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
	Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38) Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028. 5 user comments
	How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25) The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. .... 18 user comments

	What happens if you don't update Android? Sometimes it can be tempting to avoid updating to a new Android version. What happens if you decide to delay major updates to the OS?
	HOWTO: Boot Android device into Safe Mode Are you having trouble with your Android device? If you find that your device has become sluggish, is freezing, takes too long to boot or any of a host of other performance concerns, you may want to boot into Safe Mode.
	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.
	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment

United Airlines adds Wi-Fi for international flights

12 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
	Review: Samsung Jet Bot 90 AI+ - a high-end robot vacuum cleaner Samsung's Jet Bot 90 AI+ is a top-class robot vacuum cleaner that can avoid obstacles and empty its own dust container. Here we review the product. 1 user comment
	Samsung Jet Bot 80+ review - excellent robot vacuum cleaner We review Samsung's Jet Bot 80+ robot vacuum cleaner over a period of three months. 1 user comment