I have mixed feelings on this.

Will Southwest be doing any type of filtering to restrict what a customer can do online? ie, if VOIP programs are allowed to be used, this could make a very long flight......

Thank you.

I am not familiar with the details but I want your planners to know I am willing to pay an additional fee to have 'premium access' to maintain high speed access versus being slowed by heavy use on the flight.

The one additional need I have is for better battery life for my laptop or a plug-in on your longer flights. Any help there?

Again - Thanks - this will be a very valuable service for me.

Thanks Brian.
When I refer to VOIP, I'm referring to programs such as Skype, which allow people to communicate via their computer. I personally would like to see these type of services prohibited, not so much from a bandwidth point, but more from a "love thy neighbor" point. If you get a plane full of people all on their headsets talking to people, it makes for a very loud plane.

I would also ask about web filters... Unfortunately, some people don't understand what is "public appropriate" and I would hate to see the FA who would have to ask the customer to stop viewing certain material.

I am willing to wait and see once the service is introduced. I'm also waiting to see what the pricing points will be.

Hey Brian,

Any word on what this service will cost to those of us flying? Is it going to be free and just rolled into the cost of the ticket or will it being per segment costs? I am sure all your tests will include WTP (willingness to pay, see I did learn something in econ) and all that stuff, but I was just wondering if you guys had a ball park figure?

Thanks,
Kevin

[...] were intrigued when Southwest announced it will be testing inflight internet access hopefully this summer on four aircraft. The service, in [...]

This is a great improvement. I'd love to see on-board power for charging devices as well.

Do you expect install it first on your four newest planes (at the time of rollout) or on already existing planes?

How will customers know which planes will have it and when will it happen?
Also, is there going to be a fee to use it and if so how much?
I like Olivers idea of power ports at each seat for those who travel cross country. Laptop batteries only last 2-3 hours.
I also, agree with the other posters about blocking such content as VOIP and porn websites.
I hope SWA has some kind handout with info such as how to connect and keep sound off or use headsets and flight attendants should have the power to tell a customer to turn the computer off if anything is deemed inappropiate.

Tommy: Your admission about talking too loud is my concern about permitting VoIP calling onboard. I worry that the inflight din will cause people to unconsciously talk louder because they think they aren't being heard, similar to how cell phone users talk slower and louder in a noisy or weak signal environment.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, suggestions, and concerns. As I have humbly (yeah I can be humble) admitted, I am not a techie, but I have asked one of the folks who is involved with the new product to respond to you. Angela Vargo readily agreed to that opportunity, and her first comment is below.
Brian

Angela,
Thanks for riding to the rescue with the facts. Angela, with her Darth-Vadar like web, is the individual who introduced me to the blogosphere.
Brian

I flew southwest last night from orlando and our flight was late getting into birmingham to change planes. We raced to the next gate only to find that for my family of 6 that there were only 7 seats scattered throughout the plane, all in the center seat. I was on the origingating flight in orlando and in the last group to board and also was completely divided up(we arrived at the airport 2 and a half hours early). I will never fly southwest again as when I pay for a seat on a flight I want a guaranteed position. This was the most miserable flight that I've been on as the overheads were full and my carry on filled the seat underneath and I could not straighten my legs.
Sincerely,
Todd Brock

For me, it is all about the pricing. I run my own website for my business and my Samsung Blackjack comes in very handy when I am about of the office. However, broadband Internet while on a plan only makes sense for me if the cost is reasonable. if I need entertainment, I can always bring a good book, chat with a fellow passenger or even break out the iPod. How much will the service cost?

I would be completely disgusted if someone were viewing porn while I was flying with my family. I am a busy business traveler who brings his family along quite often, and would benefit GREATLY from having internet access (so I am super excited about this!!!!).

But I beseech Southwest to be prudent regarding internet access. I feel that Southwest should have the same filtering standards that public libraries have. That shouldn't prevent email (especially if using Microsoft Outlook) from working, but it would keep kids (and old fashioned adults) from being exposed to things they work hard to avoid at home and everywhere else.

I think Southwest would open a can of worms with an unanticipated increase in flying danger if they were to permit porn on board. I'm not so big on filtering VoIP access, but I do see how others could be bothered by it.

If any in Southwest management need some technical guidance on this, I am a Software Architect with 7 years of experience, and can provide great guidance, or even services to build a good filtering solution.

I just talked to some of our tech experts (thanks Shelley and Doug!) and we will be filtering for inappropriate content so that will help keep the potential (and hopefully infrequent) incidences at bay.

As someone runs close to 50 flights per year and has a constant need for technology and connectivity I absolutely love the idea. I know southwest has been targeting the business travelers more agressively so allow me to make a suggestion. No matter the final price point of this service it would be wonderful if it was complimentary for all Business-level and A-List travelers. Thus making those seats actually more attractive and rewarding you very frequent flyers like yours truely. I know it sounds like a self request, but one born out of long-term financial success for you. Thanks again for even considering this service!

Thanks for agreeing to filter content!! I too am a regular traveler, and I can tell you it would save my company great amounts of money if I could effectively work in flight and communicate with my colleagues.

Awesome!

I know I would be surfing the net when ever I am on the plane. The key being that my batteries last. Power ports are definitely essential. You would need them at each seat or under each seat so the wires from the Isle seat are not crossing over the passengers at the window or center.

Sam, The system is WiFi meaning you do not need a carrier, just a card that picks up the signal. Most, if not all cards (internal or external) have this capability.

If there is a fee to be paid, I would luv to make a suggestion that it be available in multiple levels. This way, if SW can get, or is allowed to get a receiver for the gates/terminals, passengers can log on while waiting at the gates for their flights, especially during and long layovers. But this may be a conflict with any contracts the airport has with other vendors. There are however a few airlines providing this service at the gate level now. Just a thought.

One more thing....Maybe SW could carry privacy screens onboard to provide to their passengers who wish to use their computer. This will prevent unintentional disruption to thy neighbor since it will BLACK the screen out for anyone sitting next to you. The light or action from the screen will not bother those who are trying to sleep or just relax.

Thanks again!

Thanks for all of the suggestions and input. We are very excited to begin testing broadband onboard our flights.

There are alot of details still to be worked out, and keep in mind this is a test. Not only will we be proving out and testing the technology, but also how the service will be integrated within our Marketing, Operations and Customer Service.

- At this point we are not looking at installing power to the seats. Adding power outlets significantly increases the cost and complexity of the system. Some of these costs are associated with additional weight of the system, installation and ongoing maintenance costs, in addition to the cost of the system.

- As mentioned above, we will be filtering traffic to inappropriate sites. I would expect an experience similar to using the internet in a public place such as a library.

- VOIP will be blocked.

Most of the technical details have been worked out and are ready for testing. The big tasks now are the finishing the engineering related to certification and installation. Over the next few months, we will also be working out the Customer Service details.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress!

Thumbs up on the inflight internet access! A few thoughts:

- don't require FA's to be all-knowing, techno-geeks
- turn on only above 30,000ft and off before descent
- make it easy to access. easy to find the network. no user id or passwords neeeded
- not only filter Skype but also other bandwidth hogs like massive multiplayer online role-player games (World of Warcraft, SecondLife, etc)
- highly, highly encourage headphones

Thanks so much for keeping the info flowing! :)

Cheers,
Michael Domingo
former HDQ Systems Dept empl
now in Washington, DC

Yes to email and IM.
No to voice
AC power would be nice but on most flights not necessary. But you might tell Boeing to add it to the planes you buy in the future.
Pricing, if any, should be by itinerary.

I think this would be a great addition to the benefits of the 'Business Select' fare, making it even more appealing.

[...] not because they are the first US airline to begin testing onboard broadband internet (although, seriously, kudos). ItÃ

Head sets only and no VOIP.
As one who enjoys the respite from email for the length of the flight, I see little gain in this proposed move, but expect it is inevitable and only want to minimize the negative impact.

Another comment, I regularly avoid flying through airports that charge for wifi access.

There are too many different companies with their hands out, it makes no sense unless you only use a specific route every time.

Even MacDonalds in Europe offers free wifi.

Brian:

I've enjoyed this blog, found a lot of good information and located some other great blogs with content I've been able to use on my company's new blog.

So,--FYI--I added it to my blogroll at

flightoptions.blogspot.com

I have used my laptop inflight before, but cell phones are prohibited while flying. I'm wondering if I'll be able to use cell phones for inflight internet access. If not, could I use an iPhone with the phone turned off, but just use the part that accesses the Internet?

Thanks!
Anna

I think this is great! Some people say Southwest is so behind in the tech, but I don't see United testing wireless. While I think it is a good idea to charge for the wireless, just because of bandwidth issues, I also think that we should keep with Southwest's tradition of not nickel-and-diming, which keeps me flying with you guys. So I dunno. Great idea though!

Just Do it!!

Its wanted and will be well received, but only if the connection and use cost is very low (remember the old $4.95 min charge for onboard telephone calls!!!) and considered an amenity like Movies or TV or Coke and peanuts. If SWA makes or considers it a Profit center, then it will go the way of the onboard high-priced phone!

The technology is here and will attract more Passengers, if implemented properly!

1) No speakers allowed (headsets only)

2) Suficent bandwidth or speed for internet calls, but probably not movies (unless they can use small bandwidth)!

3) Internet Phone Services or calls allowed, but still no speakers! A time limit or number of calls may be necessary, due to long winded Passengers and the possible disturbances that may occur!

4) Texting Only, if Passengers nearby complain or the Flight is a long one!

5) No Porn or offensive sights allowed (filtered by SWA's Service)!

6) File up/downloading allowed!

That should do it! Don't take forever or another Airline will get the Credit and Passengers!

Kevin Nolan,
I copied this from above for you.
Thanks for the comment. I am far from being a techie, but on todayÃ

To answer this comment, from someone in the satellite biz...

"Why would Southwest be going with a Satellite system that must weigh a ton when AA is using a land based lighter weight terrestrial wi-fi product. You don't fly overwater so I don't know why you need to go the satellite route, seems like overkill to me!"

Without getting into a deep technical discussion, the land-based solution you mention is about as "fast" as it ever will be. They bid on a specific small piece of bandwidth. The increasing use of video, combined with the "hip" generation becoming a larger proportion of SWA customers, will ultimately overwhelm it. Also, it gets slower as more aircraft adopt it. More transmitters == more noise in a ground based system. More noise == slower internet.

The satellite based solution is much, much faster right out of the gate, and can be upgraded to keep up ( like moving to Ka-band ) with the times. And, adding planes to the system doesn't slow anything down.

From my perspective, Southwest picked the marathon runner over the sprinter. Wait three or four years, and watch what happens.

Is there any update on when this may be rolled out? I was strict American Airlines for about 5 years, for the last 3 years straight now go "majority" southwest, and with your adding destinations that continues to increase. I average 4-5 flights a week, 3 weeks out of each month. I flew American 4 nights ago, and it was nice to have access to work during the flight, southwest the last two nights, but no internet.

So, I would love internet access and power plugs at each seat. I know the SW flights are generally short, but I do the pdx to abq and other similar lengths, power would be great.

P.S. Your staff is generally great! A steward brought an ice cream cone back to me tonight during a stop between OAK to LAX to ABQ and it reminded me how friendly some of your people are - great job!