Tagged With "WiFi"
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Re: JetBlue to be first with free WiFi on all flights
Excellent idea! Kudos to JetBlue for its foresight.
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
Last time I went from Mexico to Philadelphia they had no Coffee. So we received free WiFi for the flight. Was great fun saying Hello to friends. They would all ask where are you ? "I'll look out the window - somewhere above the clouds in the Gulf of Mexico!" Beat that !! And Facetime on the IPad was a hoot!
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
I've been told that wi-fi over the ocean is a real technological challenge, because it requires constant re-positioning of 2 moving targets (the plane and satellite). In contrast, Wi-Fi over a continent only involves connecting one moving target with a stationary one, a simpler thing to do. Glad to hear this problem seems to be mostly solved. It would be nice to catch up on some wi-fi chores while on a long flight (although I usually manage to fill such flights watching movies or working on...
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
Not sure I understand that. The plane is moving, but the data aren't, they are launched into geo-synchronous or its so they are always over the same patch of earth. So why should it matter whether the flight is ny to la or ny to London? Anyone know?
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
Geosynchronous orbit is only close enough to planes flying in that area (ie. around the equator). A plane flying the polar route from North America to Europe won't be able to connect with a geosynchronous satellite. They will be connecting with a series of lower altitude satellites, not unlike global satellite phone system. These satellites are moving quickly, as is the plane.
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Re: More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.
This is supposed to be the current list of stations with wireless and Wi-Fi service. http://www.nycsubwaywireless.com/ What I don't understand is if this a free service ,how exactly does Transit Wireless, make money ? Are the phone carriers paying for them? http://www.transitwireless.com...or-transit-agencies/
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Re: More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.
Transit Wireless is a company formed for this project; it's owned by the phone and data carriers, which have paid part of the costs. The other revenue stream is the potential for advertising, and also sponsorships ("WiFi at this station is sponsored by...") Everything here seems to be a big to-do; we've been on lots of European systems that have had full service, including tunnels, for quite a while. We're also way behind on "train will arrive" signs, because the NYCTA way is to design from...
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Re: Laguardia Gets a Little Love from the Guv
Good news! Please come back and let us know when it's done. By then Airbnb may have helped sort out the NYC short-term rental market confusion and I can begin planning a visit. I'd love to visit but dread both LGA & hotel prices.
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
It seems to me the smart thing for all the airlines to do would be to offer free wifi for any device, any flight, any distance. Southwest has stood out from the crowd by continuing to offer a free checked bag when others haven't and have gained loyalty as a result. May it continue. I understand that baggage fees have added a huge amount to the bottom lines but brand loyalty is worth a lot too. By giving away a $2 item and thereby correcting the notion, to a certain degree, that airlines mean...
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
I do think currently there are some band-width limitations to the wi-fi on planes. For example, there's not enough capability to support 200 people being on their mobile devices at any given time (remember this requires two way connectivity). So the cost may be just a barrier to limit access to the technology. But I like the idea. Costs will come down, technology will improve bandwidth, and offering it free will be a perk that may help people favor one airline over another.
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: "... Costs will come down, technology will improve bandwidth, and offering it free will be a perk that may help people favor one airline over another." Indeed. As we know, with airlines as with travel in general, where there's a will there's a way.
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
Actually, the new technology that we've reported earlier here, and which is being implemented by most carriers, vastly increases both speed and bandwidth. I suspect offering a bit of it like this will help them sell what had previously been a fairly unsatisfactory commodity...
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German worry: WiFi lag hurts business and travel
You'd think Germany would be rich in WiFi, like many of its neighbors, but it turns out that public WiFi is scarce, and often unavailable to restaurant and hotel guests, because of a 2010 legal ruling. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to...
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WiFi in the air spreads on regional jets
The networks of regional flights that connect the major airline hubs to smaller cities are getting wired...or rather, wirelessed. Delta has already added some, United recently announced plans, and yesterday, American put in its bid, announcing that...
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Marriott, Hotel Lobby, drop request to allow WiFi jamming
Marriott, which last year was fined $600,000 for blocking private WiFi hotspots at a convention hotel (forcing participants to pay up to $1000 for hotel service) has withdrawn from a petition it started (along with the American Hotel and Lodging...
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When do we want it? Now! What do we want? Read on...
But does it have WiFi? A new survey tells us that WiFi is holding its place as the #1 desired hotel amenity—but not as many people listed it as #1 as last year. Breakfast held #2. And almost nobody cares about the mini-bar with its...
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JetBlue, Amazon team for free WiFi, Prime benefits
It's almost enough to make you forget JetBlue's upcoming bag fees. Passengers will continue to enjoy the lower-end (Simply Surf) tier of JetBlue's Fly-Fi product, courtesy of Amazon, and Amazon Prime members will be able to use the service to access...
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Is your hotel's WiFi fast enough? Check here!
Hotel WiFi Test, a company that collects WiFi data and uses it to help travelers find a hotel where they won't scream in frustration at bad WiFi, has published a list of rankings for chains and hotels in the U.S. and internationally. They...
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Barcelona's free beach WiFi also tracks trash
Barcelona is rolling out free WiFi on the city's beaches this summer, and expects eventually to extend it city-wide. It's already been tested at nearby beaches. Aside from the convenience for visitors and residents on the beach, the WiFi will...
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Not just passengers want free WiFi...ask Spirit!
Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant are U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers famous for wanting a nickel for everything they don't charge a dime for—and they're also among the very few U.S. carriers not offering WiFi. If you've wondered why,...
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Carnival's WiFi gets faster, sort-of-cheaper
Carnival Cruise Line, which has recently tried out faster internet with lower package prices on three of its ships—and gotten good marks for it from passengers—is adding it to nine more ships, and plans to include the majority of its fleet...
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Cruise ships to offer free limitless wifi?
Good news for cruise lovers! Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be adding free unlimited WiFi access for every passenger. The company announced that its fleet would be offering this service starting late 2016. Currently only...
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Fast & Free Wifi Coming to 100 Indian Train Stations
Photo by Mac Google is bringing fast wi-fi to 100 train stations in India by the end of 2016. The initiative will eventually cover 400 stations. In most cases, this will be the fastest internet...
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JetBlue to be first with free WiFi on all flights
JetBlue has announced it intends to upgrade the WiFi on all its planes, and make it a free amenity for passengers...an industry first. The service, called FlyFi by the airline, will offer broadband speeds sufficient for streaming. Streaming...
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Traveling WiFi: Free, Fast, or Both?
WiFi has become as necessary to travelers as a toothbrush and passport—although the question of how fast and how expensive continues to develop. Airlines are finding the need for more bandwidth and more speed (see Gumbo newslinks of the past few...
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Rivals compete on speed, connection to dominate inflight WiFi
It's a battle in the sky between inflight WiFi providers such as GoGo and Inmarsat to grab the biggest share of the market. GoGo has been ahead, but with only a small portion of the world's planes equipped, the market is still wide open. ...
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NYC: Swap Payphones for WiFi Terminals
Superman and Dr. Who could soon be homeless as payphones give way to "NYFi" terminals on the streets of New York. The city has issued a Request for Proposals to replace its current 7300 street phones with up to 10,000 terminals that would provide...
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AT&T aims to compete with GoGo for inflight
GoGo has sewn up most of the installed inflight WiFi in the U.S. and has aims on the rest of the world, but AT&T Wireless has now announced it will go into the market next year with a different technology. GoGo uses plane-based antennas to communicate with satellites for WiFi service; AT&T, which owns a dense ground-based cellphone network, plans to use ground-based antennas and to use 4G LTE rather than WiFi. DETAILS from Bloomberg News. TG note : AT&T...
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JetBlue Debuts Really Hi-Speed WiFi with Free Trial
JetBlue is rolling out a new satellite WiFi service that promises broadband-speed service, and it's free for 6 months...long enough to get you addicted. For streaming video, the cost will be $9/hr. DETAILS
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More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.
NYC Transit officials are ready to announce Phase 2 of a plan that will eventually provide WiFi and cell service in all 277 underground stations in the system. The expansion will add 11 more stations in Manhattan including major hubs such as Grand...
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Spain: High-speed WiFi for High-speed trains
Spain's Renfe is fitting all its high-speed lines with fast WiFi; the first line to get it, Madrid-Seville starting Dec. 5th
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WiFi on the way for international flights
GoGo Internet, the company that supplies the inflight WiFi on most U.S. domestic flights has gotten the OK to begin installin on Boeing 747-400s for international service, and will soon extend to other models as well. Details
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Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
You can't make a call...but now you can text, check mail and browse the internet inflight on your smartphone for less. Delta has introduced $1.95 WiFi passes for cellphones, and others are sure to follow. DETAILS
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Laguardia Gets a Little Love from the Guv
New York City's Laguardia Airport, one of the nation's busiest despite its small size, has long been known as one of the most cramped and outmoded, with barely room for TSA and passengers to co-exist. Now NY's Governor Cuomo has announced that the...
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Onboard WiFi Sky-High? Suit blames GoGo's size
A Federal judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit against GoGo Inflight over their near-monopoly of WiFi service on U.S. airlines, and the resulting prices. GoGo presently has 85% of the market; they're only missing Southwest and part of ...
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High-speed WiFi spreading at sea, some free
Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are both rolling out new high-speed WiFi services...but they come with a price.
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Germany: Rules change, more free WiFi
Germany is about to let cafe owners off the hook for what customers do on WiFi; it's expected to make much more WiFi available.
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Flier survey: Bytes beat bites
Turns out that today's travelers want consistent, fast connections, and that more than half would pick that over inflight meals.
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Royal Caribbean raises tip rate, kills free WiFi
In two announcements today, Royal Caribbean gave passengers bad news: It's raising gratuity fees on its ships, and cancelling a free internet plan.
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Auto-connect to airport WiFi with FLIO app
"There's an app for that" was the big tagline not long ago, but for some things there just wasn't—and FLIO neatly fills one of those gaps. If you have an iPhone; no Android version for a couple more months. And it's free. FLIO is "all-things-airport," with the kind of information you could otherwise find only by searching airport websites, or at best, by downloading individual airport apps. The publisher has worked with over 180 airports, and is adding more, to allow app-users to...
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NYC turns on its public WiFi system
NYC has turned on its first public WiFi hotspots, part of what will turn the city's under-used phonebooths into the world's largest free public network.
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FLIO app now for Android, too, and with more
FLIO, a sort of Swiss-Army-knife for making best use of airports and their services, and with discount offers as well, is now available for Android, too!
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Re: Flier survey: Bytes beat bites
Flying any distance does give people some time to catch up with things like reading or editing photos. But if the connection were good and free or not too expensive, I think a lot of people would use the time to go on line and take care of business there. I probably would, too, although flying is one of the few times I'm actually "free" of the wired and wireless world.
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Re: Flier survey: Bytes beat bites
This survey must have been among frequent fliers, which skews heavily to business travelers. Personally I have never used wi-fi on a plane, and I don't plan to. My ipod, kindle and whatever movies they have are fine for me.
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Re: High-speed WiFi spreading at sea, some free
On a recent Norwegian cruise the charges for wifi were very high ($25/day), and people said that the speeds were awful. While these prices are "better" they would still stop me from using wifi on my cruise.
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Free WiFi starts on Japan's 'bullet trains'
With demands for free and fast WiFi as the norm spreading all over, it's no surprise that it's been spreading in Japan, too. But up to now, on the railroads, not so much. That's changing!
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Vienna logs 10,000 users a week on free WiFi
Vienna already has 200 free WiFi spots—and that will be doubled by the end of 2015!" Vienna is going public WiFi in a big way, with 150 free hotspots (not yet the 200 advertised in the poster)...