A laptop on every tray table.
That's the vision SeaTac's Alaska Airlines wants to make possible with the addition of wireless Internet connectivity to its entire fleet of jets by the end of 2009.
The airline announced Tuesday that it will test a satellite-based system from California's Row 44 on an Alaska airliner next spring. If the test goes well and Alaska keeps to its tentative installation schedule, it could be the first U.S. carrier to have Internet capabilities on its whole fleet.
Passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computers, smart phones, personal digital assistants and gaming systems would be able to access the Internet in real time for information, checking e-mail and downloading digital information, said Alaska spokeswoman Amanda Tobin Bielawski.
Alaska's shares closed up $1.29 at $25.36 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
Alaska chose Westlake Village, Calif.-based Row 44's system for accessing the Internet because it solves the unique communication problems Alaska faces on its far-flung route system.
Alaska flies to such distant points as Adak at the end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, Cancun on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Honolulu in the Pacific and Miami in the nation's southeastern corner. Other airlines are planning to install ground-based Internet connection systems which broadcast signals to planes via ground-based towers. But Alaska's flights often range beyond the reach of the signals from those towers. Row 44's satellites provide a signal to a small antenna mounted on Alaska's planes.
The airline is still pondering how to price the Internet service. First-class and high-level mileage plan fliers might enjoy the service free. Coach passengers might pay for the service by the day, the month or the year. Initial daily access prices may be around $10, but Alaska will experiment with different pricing structures when it gets its plane equipped for trial runs, said Tobin Bielawski.
Alaska has been talking with Row 44 for about two years about setting up Internet accessibility on its fleet.
The airline reportedly had discussions with Connexion by Boeing, the aerospace giant's Internet venture, but it decided Boeing's equipment was too heavy for its fleet of single aisle planes and too costly to install.
Boeing had contracts to equip thousands of major airlines' planes with Internet capabilities before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but airlines canceled those contracts after the attacks devastated the travel business. Connexion, which also used a constellation of satellites to broadcast Internet service, equipped planes of several international carriers with Connexion equipment, but Boeing pulled the money-losing service last year.
A handful of new Internet providers has emerged using more advanced communication equipment. Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways are reportedly looking into airborne Internet connectivity, and American Airlines and Virgin America are experimenting with a ground-based system from AirCell to provide Internet access to passengers. None of these airlines has announced a date for equipping its whole fleet.
In addition to attracting more fliers, particularly business fliers, Alaska's new Internet capabilities could yield substantial new revenues to the airline.
Alaska's planned Internet capability is the latest technical innovation the airline is pioneering. Alaska was the first major U.S. carrier to sell tickets over the Internet, the first to allow check-in at airport kiosks and the first to permit home check-in over the Internet.
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John Gillie: 253-597-8663
