Wi-fi in the Sky

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
So I'm writing from the air. After a hellish experience checking-in to go to Orlando from Philly, I decided I couldn't live without internet. US Air's computers went down and they were checking people in by hand. There must have been 1,500 people in line. Anywho...ten bucks. It's fast and so far, good connection. Anyone else been on wi-fi when flying?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    floorjackfloorjack Posts: 2,726member
    10 bucks for the whole flight?
  • Reply 2 of 15
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    So I'm writing from the air. After a hellish experience checking-in to go to Orlando from Philly, I decided I couldn't live without internet. US Air's computers went down and they were checking people in by hand. There must have been 1,500 people in line. Anywho...ten bucks. It's fast and so far, good connection. Anyone else been on wi-fi when flying?



    What is the name of the service at the airport? In the air?
  • Reply 3 of 15
    sammi josammi jo Posts: 4,634member
    Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to offer fleetwide'wifi in the sky' in 2009.

    Qualcomm was the first to demonstrate reliable "from the air" cellphone technology in 2004.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Virgin America offers on-flight Wi-Fi, although I'm not so addicted to the internet that I will fly Virgin because of it. United P.S. offers Wi-Fi as well. I'm sure there is an ever-increasing list of carriers that support it.



    That said, all domestic flights suck. United, US Air, American, Virgin, Delta... all suck. But what do you expect: the rates are dirt-cheap. Flying is cheaper than driving or taking the train -- it is not only the fastest, but also the cheapest, way to cover long distances.



    Just take a deep breath and chill. I fly a lot. There is nothing more annoying than vacation flyers who feel entitled to royal treatment despite the fact that they paid a discount rate.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Splinemodel View Post


    Virgin America offers on-flight Wi-Fi, although I'm not so addicted to the internet that I will fly Virgin because of it. United P.S. offers Wi-Fi as well. I'm sure there is an ever-increasing list of carriers that support it.



    That said, all domestic flights suck. United, US Air, American, Virgin, Delta... all suck. But what do you expect: the rates are dirt-cheap. Flying is cheaper than driving or taking the train -- it is not only the fastest, but also the cheapest, way to cover long distances.



    Just take a deep breath and chill. I fly a lot. There is nothing more annoying than vacation flyers who feel entitled to royal treatment despite the fact that they paid a discount rate.





    Not anymore. I took a trip to Houston in May. The tickets were booked in February or March. I paid about $375 per ticket from Philly. The cost to book that same trip a few months later? Double. It really depends on oil prices to the tune of about 40-50% (according to the CEO of Jet Blue, anyway).



    As for me, it was GoGo Inflight Internet. It was $10 for the flight (one way) going to Orlando. One the way down it was great. One the way back it sucked. There was a ton of latency and it dropped the connection completely for a few minutes. It was also slow. I wrote them and complained. They told me it was nonrefundable, but gave mea code for a free flight's worth of internet. The catch? It has to be used by the end of this year. I don't plan to fly in the near future, so that blows.



    Quote:

    There is nothing more annoying than vacation flyers who feel entitled to royal treatment despite the fact that they paid a discount rate.



    What do you mean by the "royal treatment?" I don't think most people expect that. What most people do expect is not to pay $40 for their first carry-on bag (Spirit Air), $100 in checked-bag fees and $1200 in airfare for a family trip, all while still having to pay $5 for headphones and $6 for a pillow. What people see is that airfares are about the same as they were in the past, fees have increased dramatically, and service has decreased dramatically. They are sick of being trapped on planes on the tarmac for 3 hours with no air conditioning. They are sick of being accosted by security. They are sick of fucking computer problems that cause lines of 1,500 people to form, causing them to nearly miss their flights that aren't held by the same airline. They are sick of delays, cancelations, and general bullshit.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    They want passable service, but they DON'T want to pay what it actually costs to provide it.



    Airline "A" could provide decent, non-luxury travel with some amenities and no additional fees... The ticket would cost $800. (They'd also be profitable which wouldmresult in friendlier employees as well!)

    Airline "B" will continue to operate by today's standards and charge $599.



    Almost NO leisure travelers would buy the "A" ticket. It's a proven fact... Vacationers buy their tickets based solely on price.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    They want passable service, but they DON'T want to pay what it actually costs to provide it.



    Airline "A" could provide decent, non-luxury travel with some amenities and no additional fees... The ticket would cost $800. (They'd also be profitable which wouldmresult in friendlier employees as well!)

    Airline "B" will continue to operate by today's standards and charge $599.



    Almost NO leisure travelers would buy the "A" ticket. It's a proven fact... Vacationers buy their tickets based solely on price.



    I don't buy it, no pun intended. There is no reason airlines that are charing $400 a seat can't provide decent, non-luxury travel. Let me give a real world anecdote without getting into the minutiae of inflation adjusted fares and deregulation, etc.



    When I was a kid, my family and I flew to Orlando twice. I distinctly recall flying Delta...this would be about 1987 or so. On a nonstop flight that middle income family of 5 could afford, we got served a hot breakfast...in coach (granted, it wasn't good...but they served it nonetheless). This was a 2 hour flight from Harrisburg, PA to Orlando. There were pillows, blankets, beverages and entertainment packs for the kids (crayons and what not). No baggage fees, two carry-ons per person, etc.



    So tell me...what happened? Do you mean to tell me all of that went away because of oil prices? I highly doubt it. I think it's because the big players can't figure out how to run their businesses. Keep in mind...we're not talking about the difference between paying $200 and not getting a meal vs. paying $400 and getting one. We're talking about paying $400 or $500, followed by $50-100in baggage fees, $5 for a pillow, and in some cases, $3 for a coke. That's what people are upset about.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    I don't buy it... I think it's because the big players can't figure out how to run their businesses...



    You just hit the nail on the head. Instead of running an airline, they are chasing stock values and racing to the bottom to try and have the lowest operating costs.

    This shows itself to the customer as shitty service, hidden fees and poor employee morale (and more shitty service that goes with that).



    Yes, fuel is the single largest expense, and is about 4x what it was in '87 ... but airline wages are LOWER than they were in '87 (consider inflation) and they are giving you LESS service... So you're right, how can they NOT be making money???



    Mostly because in the race to chase customers, they charge less for the ticket (including ancillary fees) than it costs to provide the service... So of course they're losing money.

    It might only take an extra $20 per ticket to become profitable, but if one airline raises their price, and the rest don't, then nobody buys that more expensive ticket... So unless ALL airlines raise their rates, they're all stuck losing money!



    With the advent of Internet ticketing, a person can look at tickets from a dozen different airlines, sorted by price... And in almost every case, the loretta traveler buys whichever one is cheapest... Even if the difference is only $1.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    You just hit the nail on the head. Instead of running an airline, they are chasing stock values and racing to the bottom to try and have the lowest operating costs.

    This shows itself to the customer as shitty service, hidden fees and poor employee morale (and more shitty service that goes with that).



    Agreed.



    Quote:



    Yes, fuel is the single largest expense, and is about 4x what it was in '87 ... but airline wages are LOWER than they were in '87 (consider inflation) and they are giving you LESS service... So you're right, how can they NOT be making money???



    Mostly because in the race to chase customers, they charge less for the ticket (including ancillary fees) than it costs to provide the service... So of course they're losing money.

    It might only take an extra $20 per ticket to become profitable, but if one airline raises their price, and the rest don't, then nobody buys that more expensive ticket... So unless ALL airlines raise their rates, they're all stuck losing money!



    With the advent of Internet ticketing, a person can look at tickets from a dozen different airlines, sorted by price... And in almost every case, the loretta traveler buys whichever one is cheapest... Even if the difference is only $1.



    Most consumers will buy the cheapest fare that is consistent with their needs and wants (nonstop, time of day, etc). I agree this has put pressure on airlines to have essentially the same prices. But it's also shown how utterly complex and frankly, fucked up their pricing models are. I've seen fares jump 20% while I'm browsing. I've seen fares drop 10% in a day.



    Instead of basing their fares on costs+desired profit margin and accounting for demand at certain times/destinations, airlines start adjusting for how far in advance tickets are sold, how many people book, how many seats are left, etc.



    The other thing I think we're experiencing is that air travel has, in the words of my father, turned into a "bus in the sky." Air travel used to be a thing that the middle class did on special occasions, like the trip my family and I took when I was a kid. I flew exactly twice as a kid. Now, it's just a common way for people to travel. I think demand is increased as a result. This would be fine, but the number of flights has decreased. Planes are almost always filled to capacity now, because airlines have stopped flying half-empty planes by eliminating flights. So we have shrinking supply and rising demand, coupled with high fuel prices. The result is that the $220 fare from PHL to RSW (Southwest Florida) with no bag fees is now at least $350, plus security and other fees, plus bag fees and other fees.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jenishthomas12 View Post


    Virgin America offers on-flight Wi-Fi, although I'm not so addicted to the internet that I will fly Virgin because of it. United P.S. offers Wi-Fi as well. I'm sure there is an ever-increasing list of carriers that support it. One the way down it was great. One the way back it sucked. There was a ton of latency and it dropped the connection completely for a few minutes. It was also slow. I wrote them and complained.



    Die, you spamming biyatch.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    marvfoxmarvfox Posts: 2,275member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    So I'm writing from the air. After a hellish experience checking-in to go to Orlando from Philly, I decided I couldn't live without internet. US Air's computers went down and they were checking people in by hand. There must have been 1,500 people in line. Anywho...ten bucks. It's fast and so far, good connection. Anyone else been on wi-fi when flying?



    Are you kidding me you cannot live without the internet in your life? That is really something!
  • Reply 12 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by marvfox View Post


    Are you kidding me you cannot live without the internet in your life? That is really something!



    Back off, champ.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    Back off, champ.







    I still don't know what to think about Marv. Is he really the naive lovable loser he pretends to be? I mean, seriously, his personality is a perfect caricature, and I'd love to see it used in fiction somewhere.



    He definitely provides some much needed comic relief with those angry smilies.



    Marv, I mean no disrespect. I know I'm an asshole sometimes (OK, a lot of the time), but there's a lot I like about you.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post






    I still don't know what to think about Marv. Is he really the naive lovable loser he pretends to be? I mean, seriously, his personality is a perfect caricature, and I'd love to see it used in fiction somewhere.



    He definitely provides some much needed comic relief with those angry smilies.



    Marv, I mean no disrespect. I know I'm an asshole sometimes (OK, a lot of the time), but there's a lot I like about you.



    I don't have him figured out, to be honest. My suspicion is that he isn't for real.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SDW2001 View Post


    I don't have him figured out, to be honest. My suspicion is that he isn't for real.



    Part of me suspects this as well.
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