Southwest Airlines Begins Wi-Fi Test

February 13, 2009

By Jennifer Hull

Southwest Airlines has begun testing the first aircraft-to-satellite in-flight Wi-Fi technology on a commercial aircraft. The airline, in conjunction with Row 44, has equipped one aircraft with the technology and is set to equip three additional aircraft by early March 2009. Southwest is also partnering with Yahoo to offer an in-flight home page with destination-relevant content. Southwest will be testing the technology for the next few months.

"Internet connectivity has been high on our list of priorities for quite some time," said Dave Ridley, Southwest Airlines senior vice president of marketing and revenue management. "We believe the aircraft-to-satellite technology is the most robust solution in the industry, and we look forward to the feedback from our customers."

Southwest Airline Customers to Test New In-Flight Wi-Fi Service

When Southwest 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.

Southwest Airlines In-Flight Wi-Fi to Include Yahoo Home Page

Southwest Airlines is also teaming with Yahoo to offer an in-flight home page that includes a one-of-a-kind flight tracker, as well as local news and informational programs. The new flight tracker will allow passengers to follow the plane's flight path and view "fly-over" points of interest along the route with images from Flickr. The Yahoo/Southwest home page will be maintained by Yahoo, and will include destination-relevant content such as local events, weather,and news, as well as destination guides that highlight top restaurants, attractions, and shopping. Also featured are a number of Yahoo Games.

"For years, Yahoo has given its users a view of what's happening in the world, and it's exciting to have an opportunity to do so from 30,000 feet," said Joanne Bradford, senior vice president of revenue and market development for Yahoo. "The Yahoo-Southwest home page will give passengers the information they need about what's happening on the ground, before they land."