Southwest 737-7H4 N901WN (32545/3462) arrives in Los Angeles sporting the wi-fi dish. (Photo by Michael Carter)Southwest has become the latest U.S. carrier to push ahead with plans for in-flight Internet access. The carrier announced it "has equipped one aircraft with the technology and is set to equip three additional aircraft by early March 2009." The carrier says it "is also partnering with Yahoo! to offer an in-flight homepage with destination-relevant content. Southwest will be testing the technology for the next few months." Southwest's service will be offered through a partnership with Row 44.
In a press release, Southwest that when customers "board the wi-fi enabled aircraft, they will be greeted with wi-fi placards and onboard instruction sheets. Those interested in using the service during the test period will have the opportunity to log on to the service free of charge via their own personal wi-fi enabled device (laptops, iPhones, wi-fi enabled smart phones, etc.). Cellular technology will not work with the wi-fi service. The service is being offered on a trial basis, and has not yet received final FCC approval."
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Wi-Fi enabled jet will be on the following flights today: Flight 20 (Houston-Dallas-Little Rock); Flight 860 (Little Rock-Las Vegas-Los Angeles); Flight 159 (Las Vegas-Burbank-Oakland).
Wednesday, Feb. 11, the jet will fly the following schedule: Flight 1147 (departing Oakland at 6:45 a.m. PT for Ontario and Phoenix); Flight 1791 (Phoenix-San Diego-Oakland); Flight 291 (Oakland-Orange County-Phoenix); Flight 209 (Phoenix-Oakland); Flight 1442 (Oakland-Phoenix).
(USA Today - Today in the Sky)
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