On Wednesday, JetBlue announced the completion of a fleet-wide rollout of their high-speed internet service they have dubbed Fly-Fi. The service first launched back in 2013 with the vision to be the first airline bringing high-speed wireless internet to every seat.
What's the best part about the Fly-Fi service? It is completely free to passengers and offers speeds of 12 to 15 Mbps, which blows away the industry competition! Even further, Fly-Fi service has the ability to stay connected from gate to gate. The service does not require the aircraft to be at the standard cruising altitude of 10,000 feet before activation, which I imagine will be well received by frequent business travelers.
Additionally, as part of the service, JetBlue has also teamed up with Amazon. Through Fly-Fi, Amazon Prime members can access the Amazon Video app on their device and stream movies & TV shows as they normally would on the ground. However, it is worth noting that internet connectivity is currently available only in the contiguous United States. For flights originating outside of the contiguous U.S., Fly-Fi connectivity will be available once the aircraft returns to the coverage area.
Bottom Line
Props to JetBlue on their incredible new internet service, Fly-Fi. I sincerely hope this starts to put pressure on other domestic carriers to improve their in-flight, internet offerings. If you have ever used Gogo to connect to the internet during a flight, you know the struggle, not to mention the cost. Hopefully, this is the beginning of an industry-wide trend we see in 2017.