Air Canada today became the latest North American carrier to embark on an inflight Internet rollout with connectivity provider Aircell.
Air Canada expects some Airbus A319 aircraft to carry Aircell's offering by spring 2009, though launch plans are limited to transborder flights to the western United States. Aircell's air-to-ground network, which enables inflight connectivity, is available only in the 48 contiguous United States, though the company said it is working toward a rollout in Canada, only after which it can work with Air Canada for more wide-scale deployment.
Aircell executive vice president of airline solutions John Happ today said the company must first obtain licenses from Canadian authorities to build its air-to-ground network in the country, after which deployment would take between six and 10 months.
In the meantime, Air Canada's initial inflight connectivity launch next year will allow inflight Internet access through Aircell's domestic network over U.S. airspace, Happ said.
Several domestic carriers, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America, are advancing their own plans to bring Wi-Fi to the sky in the coming months
(BTNonline, Sept. 2).