JetBlue's New In-Flight Wi-Fi Launches Tomorrow, Will Be Free for Six Months


Skift Take

Making in-flight Wi-Fi free for good would change the competitive landscape forcing other airlines to consider free connections for the future. JetBlue might be late to the game, but it's making up for it in a big way.
JetBlue Airways will launch its in-flight Wi-Fi service Fly-Fi Thursday morning with three inaugural flights. It will be the first to use high-speed satellite connectivity powered by ViaSat and JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV. A basic version of the Wi-Fi called Simply Surf will be free until June 2014. There is also a premium service available called Fly-Fi Plus that gives flyers the ability to stream videos or download large files for $9 per hour. A pricing scheme past the first six months has not yet been decided, but JetBlue senior vice president of marketing Marty St. George says his goal is to keep it free. "We want to have the free option out there so customers can have unlim