More in-flight high-speed Internet coming in 2018

Airlines will be equipping more of their aircraft with high-speed satellite-based Wi-Fi capabilities in 2018. According Wi-Fi provider Gogo, it has almost 1500 orders for its high-speed 2Ku product, which is seven times faster than its air-to-ground network. The 2Ku satellite systems will be fitted on aircraft being operated by carriers such as AeroMexico, Alaska, American, British Airways and Iberia. Delta already has more than 350 of its aircraft equipped with the 2Ku product.

Officials at American Airlines said that all of its A320 aircraft along with its legacy US Airways A319s will be retrofitted with Gogo 2Ku service by the end of 2018. Legacy American A319s, A321s and its entire 737 fleet will be equipped with ViaSat’s high-speed satellite service by spring of 2019. American noted the ViaSat service has already been deployed on a few of its planes and that passengers with Gogo monthly subscriptions will be able to use their subscriptions on both Gogo and ViaSat provided systems.

In addition to more aircraft being equipped with the satellite service, both Gogo and Viasat said that with the launches of new satellites they will be able to offer even more improvements to their high-speed Wi-Fi products.