Photo: Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is expanding its partnership with Intelsat to provide in-flight connectivity (IFC) on 105 of the company’s new fleet of Boeing 737MAX aircraft. Intelsat-equipped aircraft deliveries have already commenced and will continue through 2024 across Alaska Airlines’ new 737-9s. 

The airline already operates Intelsat’s 2Ku IFC service on 150 aircraft, after first partnering with Gogo in 2010. Intelsat acquired the commercial aviation segment of Gogo in 2020. The deal announced Thursday is the largest expansion of the IFC relationship between the two companies to date. 

Alaska Airlines said in its own release that the service will give guests better reliability, faster connections and a lower cost. The company reported its web portal now loads 50% faster than before with a one ‘click-to-connect’ web experience, and connection speeds are 20 times faster than our previous, basic Wi-Fi system. The company also announced a new $8 flat rate for Wi-Fi service on mainline aircraft equipped with satellite-enabled connectivity.

“Alaska is committed to delivering a connected experience that gives their guests a high-speed internet service and high-quality content. I couldn’t be happier that they chose Intelsat as their partner,” said Dave Bijur, senior vice president of commercial in Intelsat’s commercial aviation division. “Our continuous launch of satellites over the next several years, starting with Intelsat 40e next year, puts us in a position to deliver reliability, redundancy and speed – all of which maximize guest satisfaction.”