Why JetBlue's In-Flight WiFi Isn't That Great
Everyone's going wild about JetBlue's announcement that in-flight Internet is coming to the airline December 11. But we're a little underwhelmed with the news that a single A320 ("BetaBlue") will be outfitted with a system that only allows you limited web access.
Passengers can only jump online using WiFi-enabled Blackberries, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger because JetBlue's partnered with the search company and Research In Motion. Try to bring up your Gmail or a news site, and you're out of luck.
Then there's the problem of the system not working as promised, says USA Today:
During a news media test flight on Wednesday, the service failed to start for about 20 minutes once the aircraft cleared the required altitude for electronic devices...One reporter had difficulty composing and sending e-mail from his Yahoo account, even though he was able to reply to incoming e-mails. E-mails he sent from a BlackBerry provided by JetBlue never reached his intended recipients even though the device confirmed that they were sent.
We don't mean to be total Debbie Downers, and we have to admit any step toward in-flight Internet is laudable. And you can't beat the price: Free. As JetBlue chairman David Neeleman says, "Why charge for something that doesn't work very well yet?"
Related Stories:
· JetBlue to Offer Some In-Flight WiFi [USA Today]
· Web Access and Email on Flights [NYT]
· In-Flight WiFi coverage [Jaunted]
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