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In-Flight WiFi: Our IM Interview with an AA Passenger

August 20, 2008 at 3:18 PM | 0 Comments

We didn't get a seat on one of American Airlines's newly wireless planes today, but Jaunted pal Peter Ha did. We last met up with CrunchGear's News Editor out at the Mojave Spaceport in front of the WhiteKnightTwo. Today, we had to chat via IM, which was also pretty awesome:

Jaunted: So it really works!

Peter: Indeed.

Jaunted: Any notables on the flight with you?

Peter: Aircell's CEO and Charles Wilson from AA.

Jaunted: What kind of speeds are you getting? How does it compare to your connection at home?

Peter: So far I'm getting around 1,700 kbps down and roughly 300 kbps up.

Peter: A few spots got hairy and the connection was slow but otherwise I'm getting decent speeds. I can't tell a whole lot of difference between this and my connection at home for normal usage like AIM, browsing, etc.

Jaunted: Have you tried VOIP or Skype, even though they're supposedly outlawed? We heard a rumor that Skype calls were going through for at least a minute or two before getting cut off.

Peter: I just tried one and it went for about five seconds.

Jaunted: From what you've seen so far, would you call the system reliable? Like, could you count on it, or is it more of just a "Hey, this is neat" service that might not appeal to hard-core biz travelers?

Peter: It's reliable from what I can tell. Hard-core biz users will definitely find it useful. There will undoubtedly be some spots where the service might not be at full capacity, but that doesn't seem to last very long.

Jaunted: Like the hand off from cell tower to cell tower, you mean?

Peter: Yep. That is basically what's happening here, since Aircell's units are perched on top of Sprint's cell towers.

Jaunted: One last question: Has the passenger in front of you reclined so far back you can't use your laptop comfortably?

Peter: She's reclined. I have my 15-inch MacBook Pro perched on my stomach. It's pretty uncomfortable. And AA only has cig adapter outlets. Virgin America has normal outlets!

Related Stories:
· Blogging Live from 37,000 Feet [CrunchGear]
· American Airlines Announces WiFi on Some Flights [Jaunted]
· JetBlue WiFi: Chatting on IM at 34,000 Feet [Jaunted]

Where: United States

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Author Photo: pbb by pbb

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