"Bringing broadband Internet access to the skies is one of the most important things we can do to enhance the experience of both business and leisure customers," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines' vice president of sales, marketing and customer experience. "We're moving ahead with testing and ultimately plan to bring wireless broadband to our whole fleet."
Unlike air-to-ground services, Row 44's satellite-based system is designed to function over land, water and across international borders, enabling service throughout Alaska's route system in Alaska, the Lower 48 states, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.
Customers connect to the system through wireless hotspots installed inside the aircraft cabin. A light-weight radome mounted on top of the aircraft houses an antenna, which receives and transmits signals through the Ku-band satellite system.
"Alaska's route system and their proven leadership using innovative technology make them an ideal airline for our system's flight testing and early deployment," said Gregg Fialcowitz, Row 44's president. "Deploying our service on their routes-with so many areas that can't be served by air-to-ground systems-is a perfect opportunity to highlight the benefits of our satellite-based system."
Alaska Airlines has frequently been recognized for its use of pioneering technology to improve the customer experience. The airline, in 1995, was the first North American carrier to sell tickets online and, in 1999, became the first carrier worldwide to offer Internet check-in.
Alaska and Row 44 have worked together for two years to bring a successful and cost-efficient inflight broadband solution to market.
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Photo by Kevin Porter. GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
