JetBlue to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi in 2013
(CBS News) Internet addicts may have incentive to book a flight on JetBlue Airways in 2013. The airline is planning to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi.
JetBlue announced Monday at the Low Cost Carrier conference in London that the airline plans to launch its first Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft in the first quarter.
In a statement given to CBS News via email, the company says it will offer free basic Wi-Fi services until the service is installed on 30 airplanes.
JetBlue could not release any further details on how long the roll out will take, as much of it depends on testing that is underway. A spokesperson for the airline also said that it was too early to determine if the company will eventually charge a fee for in-flight Wi-Fi.
JetBlue is going with ViaSat as the carrier for what it's calling the first in-flight broadband service. According to an alleged internal memo obtained by The Verge, ViaSat's staff tested the service and loaded 10 web pages in about 1 minute and 18 seconds. The memo claimed that its closest competitor took as long as 8 minutes and 42 seconds to load the same pages. JetBlue did not comment on the leaked memo.
