Virgin Atlantic announced that it partnered with GoGo to offer high-speed 70 Mbps Internet on its flights. Gogo has a new satellite-based 2ku system that offers increased Internet speeds from the previously, much slower 3.1 Mbps connection (which it upgraded last year to 9.8 Mbps), to an unprecedented 70 Mbps in-flight connection.
"We're always looking at ways to enhance the on-board experience for our customers, and expanding in-flight connectivity across our fleet is just one of the ways in which we are doing this," Virgin Atlantic's brand and customer engagement director, Reuben Arnold, said in a statement. "We were impressed with Gogo's connectivity solution and look forward to all of our customers being able to enjoy this service whilst they fly."
Right now there are over 2,000 commercial aircrafts from 10 major airlines and 6,000 business aircrafts that are equipped with Gogo's Internet services.
Virgin Atlantic is one of the first European airplane companies to take advantage of this service, but Delta Air Lines will soon use it, too. Gogo's 70 Mbps service will appear in European airplanes starting next year.
"Virgin Atlantic is on the cutting edge when it comes to delivering technology solutions to their passengers and we're extremely excited to deliver the best connectivity solutions to keep their passengers connected anywhere they fly around the world," Michael Small, Gogo's president and CEO, said in a press release. "Virgin Atlantic's relationship with Delta Air Lines will also allow us to build a seamless experience for passengers who fly both airlines."
T-mobile recently announced that it partnered with Gogo to offer unlimited texting on flights on a limited range of devices that include Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, iPhone 5S and LG G3. Gogo also announced that it will bring high-speed Internet to Vietnam Airlines.
We're living in an increasingly connected world, so having great Internet speeds wherever we are, even when flying in an airplane, is becoming a vital feature that airlines can use to their advantage to attract customers from the competition. This, of course, leads to airline customers having a better in-flight experience, too.
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