JetBlue said it intends to launch its first WiFi-enabled aircraft in early 2013, and that the airline will offer “a free basic WiFi service to start.”
In its BlueTails blog, JetBlue said the service will be better than what other airlines offer and “worth the wait.”
“We know there already are many carriers out there with connectivity, but we also know something else: If our customers are impatient with our speed to market with a solution, they’re likely also frustrated with the level of service they’re getting on the other guys,” JetBlue said. “If you have tried one of those other products, you know what we’re talking about. You’d never pay those kinds of prices for that level of service on the ground, why would you take it in the air?
“We believe that our in-flight WiFi should be heads and shoulders above the rest. We think it will be worth the wait.”
JetBlue partnered with ViaSat to deploy a broadband network that uses a Ka-band satellite. JetBlue is confident that the Ka-band satellite will offer better connectivity and transmission speed than the ground-to-air solutions that other airlines use.
“It’s smarter, newer, cheaper and better than anything on the market today for commercial aviation,” JetBlue said.