Alaska Airlines Trials Satellite-Based Inflight Wireless Internet Service
26 Febbraio 2009 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Satellite-technology from Row 44 to offer passengers broadband
Wi-Fi access to the Internet over land, water and across
international borders SEATTLE, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Alaska Airlines today will launch a customer trial of its new
satellite-based wireless Internet service. Named Alaska Airlines
Inflight Wi-Fi, the service can be used inflight on any Wi-Fi
enabled device such as a laptop, smartphone or portable media
player. Onboard Alaska Airlines' specially-equipped Boeing 737-700
passengers will now be able to engage in a range of activities
including browsing the Web; accessing online music, games, podcasts
and webcasts; sending and receiving e-mail; and connecting to
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The service will be free at the
start of the trial, which is scheduled to begin on an afternoon
flight between Seattle and San Jose, Calif., and will run for about
60 days. After a successful trial period, the airline will
determine the schedule for rolling out the commercial availability
of its wireless Internet service to its entire fleet of aircraft.
"We're thrilled to be able to offer our passengers a way to stay
connected to what matters most to them while en route to their
destinations," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska's vice president of
marketing, sales and customer experience. "This is a service that
everyone can use, whether it's for business or entertainment. Our
service gives passengers a choice in how they spend their time
while traveling and enhances the inflight experience." Alaska
Airlines and Row 44 have cooperated for more than two years to
bring this service to market. "Alaska Airlines continues its long
track record of deploying innovative technologies," said John
Guidon, CEO for Row 44. "We are proud to be associated with their
team and thrilled that such a forward-thinking airline selected Row
44's inflight satellite broadband service." The airline conducted
extensive ground and inflight tests of the technology prior to the
launch of the service trial to ensure the system does not interfere
with aircraft navigation equipment. In addition, the aircraft
equipment has received complete airworthiness certification from
the Federal Aviation Administration. The service is being offered
on a trial basis and has not yet received final Federal
Communications Commission approval. As Henry Harteveldt, vice
president and principal analyst at Forrester Research said in a
recent article entitled "Online on High" on CNN.com, "I expect
there to be two groups of airlines: those that have announced plans
to have Internet access and those that will wonder why they have
lost passengers." Internet for everyone Alaska Airlines Inflight
Wi-Fi works with a broad range of Wi-Fi-enabled devices and will
allow business and leisure travelers the convenience of a
high-speed network comparable to their office or home connection.
The Inflight Wi-Fi splash page contains live news, music, shopping
and links to practical services on Alaska's award-winning Web site,
alaskaair.com. Additionally, passengers can: -- Browse the Web --
Access online music, games, podcasts, webcasts, etc. -- Instant
message friends, family and colleagues -- Send and receive e-mail
-- Access corporate networks via VPN Alaska has long pioneered
technology to improve the customer experience. The airline was the
first in North America to sell tickets online in 1995 and, four
years later, was the first carrier worldwide to offer Internet
check-in and boarding passes. Pricing and availability Final
pricing for the service has not been determined. The airline plans
to use customer feedback to design a flexible pricing structure
that will be affordable and competitive with other services in the
industry. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska
Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through
an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and
Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction
among Traditional Network Carriers (tie)" in the J.D. Power and
Associates 2008 North America Airline Satisfaction Study(SM). For
reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information,
visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at
alaskaair.com/newsroom. EDITORS' NOTE: High-resolution still images
of the Alaska Airlines Inflight Wi-Fi system are available for
download from the Alaska Airlines Newsroom image gallery at
alaskaair.com/newsroom. Video B-roll tape is available by
contacting Alaska Airlines Corporate Communications at (206)
392-5101. DATASOURCE: Alaska Airlines CONTACT: Bobbie Egan of
Alaska Airlines, +1-206-392-5134; or Melissa Liton of Communique
PR, +1-206-282-4923, ext. 122 Web Site: http://www.alaskaair.com/
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