Southwest, indeed! Southwest reported today on their blog that they have finished wifi installation throughout 70% of their fleet.
The wifi service includes high-speed satellite internet, live television, and on-demand movies. There are no seat-back monitors; instead, services are accessed through your personal devices.
We started testing movies-on-demand in January to complete out our offering and provide additional choice for our customers.
Our TV subscription, which includes unlimited access to live and on-demand television, as well as movies-on-demand, is now available on all WiFi-enabled flights!
Southwest has long been interested in in-flight entertainment, but the expense and complexity of a seat-back gadget were never a good match for our lean and mean business model.
WiFi, and in particular Row 44, our satellite-based WiFi supplier, provided us with the unique opportunity to provide both broadband WiFi and a full in-flight entertainment solution via a single system.
This, along with an increasing number of Customers bringing their own wireless devices onboard, means we're providing cutting-edge technology and entertainment inflight. How's that for a "low-frills" carrier?
Pricing: WiFi access: $8 TV: $5 (includes unlimited access to live television channels and on-demand television episodes) Movies: $5 per movie
How it works: Once onboard a WiFi-enabled plane and a Flight Attendant has signaled that electronic devices are safe to use, just connect to "southwestwifi" and activate your web browser to have immediate access to the Inflight Entertainment Portal.
You may then buy one of the aforementioned goods or peruse the free portal options, which include a great flight tracker, games, and southwest.com.