There are both positive and negative outlooks on the in-flight market within the satellite community. The more upbeat perspective involves the belief that aero demand for satellite capacity could surpass maritime if mobile broadband use on commercial flights becomes as common as Wi-Fi hotspots on the ground. But, the companies taking a more cautious approach to the vertical believe that passenger take-up rates in the short-term have been disappointing, especially compared to the expectations of VSAT providers and airlines.

   That caution, however, hasn’t stopped the larger domestic U.S. airline industry from taking notice of what has been brewing in the international in-flight market. In January, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relaxed restrictions on in-flight Wi-Fi internet access for commercial airlines as an attempt to broaden competition in the mobile telecommunications market and contribute to speed up the offering of internet services onboard aircraft. The Commission also formalized Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft (ESAA), which allow aircraft to communicate with Fixed-Satellite Service (FSS) geostationary-orbit (GSO) space stations.  

   The month before in December, Boeing, one of the first major entities to make an effort in cracking the in-flight market announced it was working on eliminating weak spots in in-flight wireless signals through a series of passenger tests. Despite watching its Connexion service fail to achieve success several years ago, Boeing continued with its initiative, “Synthetic Personnel Using Dialectic Substitution” (SPUDS), which it started working on it in 2006. The system uses 20,000lbs of potatoes to find ways to strengthen and improve the planes’ Wi-Fi service at more than 35,000 feet above Earth, for which demand continues to increase. The idea is to get strong signal to every seat of the plane without interfering with its sensitive navigation and communications equipment.

   Regardless of the region and history, airlines around the world are now in full swing with their in-flight connectivity strategies and many have already launched services. Some airlines have been particularly aggressive in these strategies and others, such as Southwest Airlines, Gulf Air and Icelandair have been pioneers in the surrounding technology.

   That said, In-Flight Connectivity Insider – a collaboration between Via Satellite and Avionics Today – will host these same executives and pioneers on a Feb. 27 webinar at 11:00 a.m. EST to discuss the direction in which their in-flight connectivity strategies are headed during the next few years.

   The “In-Flight Connectivity: The Next Chapter” webinar, moderated by Via Satellite Editor Mark Holmes, will feature panelists such as Southwest Airlines Product Development Angela Vargo, Gulf Air and Communications Senior Manager Mohamad El Assaad and Icelandair Director of Business Development Gudmundur Óskarsson.

   Vargo oversees the strategy and implementation of Southwest Airlines’ in-flight connectivity and entertainment platform and is responsible for identifying and developing new products and services to enhance the in-flight customer experience and generate revenue. Southwest Airlines currently has the one of the largest satellite-based WiFi fleets in the world and is the only airline to offer wireless live TV.

   Gulf Air is looking to implement an expansive in-flight strategy that includes high-bandwidth applications such as video. El Assaad has been in the IFE and Communications industry for over 14 years and is now the key project director for Gulf Air’s implementation of in-flight connectivity services. His work in achieving cost effective media structures and methodologies, as well as developing aircraft entertainment systems, has been critical in Gulf Air’s expanding presence in the vertical.

   Icelandair, one of Scandinavia’s major airlines, is also an interesting case study. Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik is a major tourist destination and attraction to global travelers. Gudmundur heads Icelandair’s marketing strategy, customer experiences, product and service revenues. He has been with the airline since 2004, previously serving as marketing manager in Continental Europe and Scandinavia before taking over and heading his current division within the company.