American Airlines has selected ViaSat to outfit its new Boeing 737 MAX fleet with in-flight Wi-Fi internet service. The new American planes will tap into ViaSat’s Ka-band satellite system, which will include ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and its next gen ViaSat-3 satellites. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ViaSat said its first two generation satellite platforms together provide more capacity than all of the commercial satellites over North America combined. When the first ViaSat-3 class satellite platform launches in 2019, it will more than double the capacity again. ViaSat promises an ‘at home’ internet experience when in-flight – with the ability to stream movies, videos, television and music, as well as surf the web, upload pictures to social media, email large files, etc..
“We believe we are now approaching the end of an era where passengers have paid very high prices for very slow connections. Our agreement highlights a significant initial step for American to deliver an onboard Wi-Fi experience every passenger will want to use,” said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO.
The first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with the ViaSat in-flight internet system are scheduled to go into service in September 2017.
http://www.viasat.com
