Virgin Australia Airlines has partnered with US-based in-flight connectivity provider Gogo and Australia’s Optus Satellite to offer Wi-Fi services to its domestic and international passengers.
As part of the deal, the airline will begin a three-month trial of Gogo’s 2Ku technology on one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft to collect customer feedback.
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Following the completion of the test, Virgin Australia’s entire fleet of Boeing 737-800, Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft are planned to be fitted with the 2Ku technology.
The technology will use existing Ku satellite services from Optus Satellite for Virgin Australia’s domestic and New Zealand services, as well as Intelsat and SES satellite services for other international flights.
During the trial, all Virgin Australia passengers travelling on its Wi-Fi enabled aircraft will have free internet access throughout their flight.
Virgin Australia Airlines group executive John Thomas said: “Virgin Australia guests will soon be able to stay connected with their family, friends and colleagues on-board while also enjoying the fantastic entertainment offered by Netflix, Stan and Pandora.
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By GlobalData“The new connectivity solution will complement Virgin Australia’s popular onboard wireless in-flight entertainment system, which revolutionised domestic and Trans-Tasman inflight entertainment when it was introduced in 2013.
“Feedback from our guests during the customer testing period will help us tailor our in-flight wi-fi offering to their needs.”
The airline and Gogo will jointly work to obtain relevant regulatory approval for its proposed in-flight Wi-Fi service.
Image: A person browsing through internet. Photo: courtesy of Virgin Australia Airlines.
