In-Flight Wi-Fi may be Getting Faster

Because all of franchising deserves a little better service in the sky

SPONSORED 2:14PM • 03/29/16

When you work in franchising, you’re bound to travel. Sometimes it’s Las Vegas for a conference or you have to visit units in Cincinnati, but either way, travel is inevitable in the franchise industry. However, staying connected has not always been the easiest task thanks to slow and intermittent connectivity.

According to a recent story in the Dallas Morning News, airlines began incorporating in-flight wireless systems around 2009, but the technology has never quite met consumer expectations.

The good news is the older “air to ground” technology that relied upon cell towers is being replaced by satellite-based systems that promise 10 to 20 times faster speeds and better connectivity.

Fern Fernandez, American Airline’s vice president of global marketing was quoted in the Dallas Morning News article as saying, “Whether you’re the customer who only flies once a year and wants to be able to update social media on your flight to Cancun or you’re someone who flies everyday and needs to keep in touch with family or the office, speed is really the key.”

As we wrote about here on 1851 Franchise, American Airlines sued in-flight wireless provider Gogo last month, in search of a better contract and faster Wi-Fi. While the lawsuit was dropped, American intends to still upgrade to Gogo’s new satellite technology.

American Airlines is not the only carrier looking to improve service. Southwest and JetBlue were an early adopters of satellite technology and Delta and United are currently updating their fleet.

Widespread implementation of satellite technology will still take a few years, but it’s about time that airlines caught up with what is happening on the ground.

To read the original Dallas Morning News story, click here.