44k From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 309 posts, RR: 0 Posted (4 years 9 months 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3996 times:
August 20th AA introduced its Wifi internet service on their Boeing 767-200 aircraft which fly on primarily transcontinental routes between the East-West coasts:
For $12.95, passengers on AA flights using its Boeing 767-200 will be able to surf the 'Net, check e-mail, instant message and access corporate VPN accounts using the system by Aircell LLC. AA is the 1st airline to offer high speed internet connections in flight in the US.
So far there is nothing but positives to hear about the service. Speeds are great, with reports of ~1.7Mb down and 170Kb up. I really hope the service will be expanded to other aircraft too...
AA should be commended for adding services in this environment of constant cuts, I think this will be a great success!
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EDIT: Website http://www.gogoinflight.com/
Egcarter From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 159 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (4 years 9 months 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 3856 times:
Quoting Ba97 (Reply 2): Interesting. So for $13.00 I can use my skype phone and talk and receive calls all the way across also. Like being in the office. This is great.
Apparently it is Internet access, but not voice. Thankfully.
From the Aircell Gogo site:
"Can I use Gogo to place a call with my cellular or VoIP phone?
Using cellular network services (voice or data) during the flight is not currently allowed by the FCC. When you can’t call, however, you can still Gogo! With most Internet applications, you can email, IM or just browse the web for information, so you don’t have to wait until you’re on the ground to keep in touch.
Please note: VoIP services are also currently prohibited."
Qqflyboy From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 2198 posts, RR: 14 Reply 6, posted (4 years 9 months 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 3708 times:
Quoting 44k (Thread starter): I really hope the service will be expanded to other aircraft too...
There are plans to add it to the 757s, 737s and MD-80s, depending on how reliable and successful the service is. According to current schedules, the MD-80 and 737 could see installation begin next year and the 757s in 2010, with all narrow body a/c complete by mid-2011.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect my employer’s views.
Reality From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 375 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (4 years 9 months 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 3678 times:
Quoting 44k (Thread starter): I really hope the service will be expanded to other aircraft too...
According to the Aircell site, it will be available on Virgin America and Delta soon.......
"Aircell’s Gogo™ inflight Internet service to be available in first and economy classes on more than 330 Delta aircraft in 2009, the most expansive inflight broadband offering of any U.S. air carrier."
NWADC9 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 4857 posts, RR: 10 Reply 8, posted (4 years 9 months 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 3643 times:
I wonder if this'll help bring in some UA p.s. clients. After UA starts inflight service cuts and whatnot, maybe they'll migrate to AA and be able to use the internet and get more work done!
Flying an aeroplane with only a single propeller to keep you in the air. Can you imagine that? -Capt. Picard
I agree! But nothing will stop someone connecting to their office via VPN, then running VoIP through the VPN ... I bet it will happen, and there are no technical means to stop it.
Question: will a FA tell you to stop talking on your VoIP headset while in flight? Would you be in violation of some FAR if you do so, or only of Aircell's TOS (which the FA couldn't probably care less)?
Kalvado From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 471 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (4 years 9 months 13 hours ago) and read 3008 times:
Quoting ManuCH (Reply 12): . I bet it will happen, and there are no technical means to stop it.
Actually it's pretty easy to do, just limit average traffic per customer.
On the other hand, signal is likely to go through earth synchronous satellite, 80 000 km up to orbit and back to base station - that's about 1/4 second; add another 1/4 return.. it wouldn't be as comfortable as a cell phone.
ManuCH From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, RR: 51 Reply 16, posted (4 years 9 months 13 hours ago) and read 2997 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD MODERATOR
Quoting Kalvado (Reply 15): Actually it's pretty easy to do, just limit average traffic per customer.
Didn't think about that... or induce some artificial jitter, it's easy and disrupts any meaningful voice communication. I wonder if they actually do that or leave it up to the customer to be polite and respect the TOS...
Quoting Ba97 (Reply 2):
Interesting. So for $13.00 I can use my skype phone and talk and receive calls all the way across also. Like being in the office. This is great.
Quote: Tonight I got an email from Laptop Magazine's new News Editor (recently promoted) Joanna Stern, asking me to get on SightSpeed while she was flying on an Aircell equipped American Airlines flight to New York.
We actually saw each other for about ten seconds on SightSpeed, before the voice and real time video sensing technology cut the connection off. Bummer as that was the supposed "impossible."
......
It took about 10 seconds to suggest we try Flash Audio. And guess what? It worked.
Phweet(http://www.phweet.com/). Yup, the unfunded brainchild of pals Stuart Henshall and Mr. Blog David Beckemeyer (who I consider one of the true great minds in VoIP) made it happen.
I invited Joanna, she replied and once I figured out how to get Phweet to answer (I had to use Safari, not Firefox) Joanna and I were having a lovely conversation while she was on an Aircell flight.
The cat is out of the bag. Phone conversations will occur if internet is on a plane. After all voice is just data to the system.
And sooner or later the airline will want the revenue stream from it, hell why get $7 from every tenth passenger for a pillow and blanket when they can get $1.00 a minute from almost everyone with no additional weight or personnel.....
And I hate it, I hate the idea of listening to a dozen or more "vital" and trivial conversations going on around me.
It's coming and there's nothing we can do about it. Uugh.
Tugg
I don’t know that I am unafraid to be myself, but it is hard to be somebody else. -W. Shatner
QQflyboy From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 2198 posts, RR: 14 Reply 20, posted (4 years 9 months 11 hours ago) and read 2861 times:
Quoting Tugger (Reply 17): It's coming and there's nothing we can do about it. Uugh.
The airline's own rules, and therefore the FARs, can prohibit VOIP calls. See below.
Quoting ManuCH (Reply 12): Would you be in violation of some FAR if you do so, or only of Aircell's TOS (which the FA couldn't probably care less)?
If a flight attendant tells a person to do something and they don't comply, they are in violation of FARs. AA's own terms of use of the Gogo service prohibit VOIP calls. If someone is successful in establishing a conversation and a flight attendant tells them to end it, it would be a wise idea to comply.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect my employer’s views.
Tugger From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 4630 posts, RR: 7 Reply 22, posted (4 years 9 months 11 hours ago) and read 2828 times:
Quoting QQflyboy (Reply 20): If a flight attendant tells a person to do something and they don't comply, they are in violation of FARs. AA's own terms of use of the Gogo service prohibit VOIP calls. If someone is successful in establishing a conversation and a flight attendant tells them to end it, it would be a wise idea to comply.
That's all good and fine, but you are going to see calls happen. Great if the F/A tells them to stop but what's the consequence?
Also why would the airline want to hassle with it when they can charge for it?
Tugg
I don’t know that I am unafraid to be myself, but it is hard to be somebody else. -W. Shatner
Aviators99 From United States of America, joined May 2008, 434 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (4 years 9 months 11 hours ago) and read 2784 times:
Are you going to prohibit people from speaking loudly to the people next to them as well?
Look, I agree that people tend to speak more loudly on the phone than in person, but we should be educating people that it is not required to do so (since it's not), instead of banning talking. It makes no sense. Force them to use better headsets if you have to.
25 Fsnuffer: Like FA's don't have enough to do; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410282,00.html With everybody being offended by something this should be a real
26 Qqflyboy: FARs require passengers to comply with crew member instructions. Failure to do so can result in imprisonment and up to a $25,000 fine, plus restituti
27 Tonytifao: Who cares if you talk to someone next to you or on the phone?
28 Aviators99: If you trust the coverage map here: http://www.gogoinflight.com/jahia/Ja...site/gogo/customerCare/coveragemap There is definitely a (short) portion o
29 Goldenshield: It doesn't surprise me in the least that FOX is the first news agency to throw the P word along with the I word in the same sentence when it comes to
30 SPREE34: Especially JFK-MIA That's rich. Blew my coffee right out.
31 AAJFKSJUBKLYN: I am taking the 762 to MIA saturday am...will advise but based on the gogo map..and flight paths there should be no issue.....
32 ManuCH: Of course, that's pretty obvious. What I'm asking myself is whether the FA will actually tell passengers to end the conversations or not - ie. if the
33 Aviators99: Looks like they take the Atlantic Route about 1/3 of the time over the past week, so there's a chance you won't have an issue.
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