SEATTLE, WA. | August 1, 2011 — Alaska Airlines announced today that it will offer complimentary Gogo® Wi-Fiservice for passengers with Web-enabled smartphones or iPod Touches throughout the months of August and September 2011. The offer, compliments of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature ® Card, is also available to customers who use a digEplayer, Alaska’s portable inflight entertainment system.
“Alaska Airlines’ Inflight Wi-Fi has been a hit with our customers and we’re excited to offer it free to those with smartphones throughout the next two months,” said Joe Sprague, the airline’s vice president of marketing. “Whether you’re a business traveler needing access to e-mail or just can’t wait to check your Facebook, free access to the Internet is a huge benefit.”
Gogo is now available on nearly all aircraft in Alaska Airlines fleet operating within the Lower 48 United States and specific areas in Alaska. Using Gogo, Alaska Airlines passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices can browse the Web; access online music, games, podcasts and webcasts; send and receive e-mail; and connect to virtual private networks while flying. The easy-to-use service provides passengers with full Internet access on any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device at speeds similar to wireless mobile broadband services on the ground.
“We are extremely excited for this sponsorship since it’s the first free mobile offering on Gogo,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief marketing officer. “Many smartphone users simply aren’t aware that you can turn your cellular phone service off on a Gogo equipped plane, yet still access the Internet through a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device and surf the Web, send email and access most of the features on your mobile device.”
Prices for Gogo on other devices such as laptops, iPads, netbooks or tablets start at $4.95 and are based on length of flight and device used. Gogo also offers 24-hour inflight Wi-Fi passes and monthly subscriptions. Customers can visit www.alaskaair.com/wifi for more information about Alaska Airlines’ inflight Wi-Fi.
Alaska Airlines’ digEplayers are available on flights longer than three hours. The price is $14 on flights longer than 4.5 hours and $8 on flights less than 4.5 hours and includes Gogo Wi-Fi access. Customers receive a $2 discount when they reserve a digEplayer in advance via the airline’s alaskaair.com website.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction StudiesSM. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.
In Celebration, Passengers Will Be Greeted By Gogo Gate Team Members With Complimentary Gogo Access
ITASCA, Ill., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ — Already enabling Internet access on more flights than any other service in the world, Aircell today announced it has installed Gogo® Inflight Internet on its 1,000th aircraft. The Delta Air Lines DC-9 will make its connected flight today from Detroit. To celebrate the occasion, passengers will be greeted by Gogo brand ambassadors, and treated to complimentary Gogo Internet access on board. Today’s 1,000th equipped aircraft caps a busy month for Aircell, in which it wired numerous Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines planes. Gogo Inflight Internet is now available on more than 3,800 flights daily, up from just 2,100 at this time last year. Roughly one-third of all mainline domestic aircraft now offer Gogo’s Inflight Internet service.
“This is a big milestone for our company and for consumers who want to stay connected at 30,000 feet,” said Michael Small, President and CEO of Aircell. “A few years ago Internet on a commercial flight was unheard of, and today it is commonplace. I want to thank our team and our airline partners for their dedication, but more importantly our customers who make our daily growth possible.”
Gogo will continue to roll-out on additional aircraft and airline partners throughout 2010 and beyond to provide consumers with Internet access to their wireless devices whenever they are in the air. With Gogo, passengers can browse the Web; access online music, games and podcasts; send and receive e-mail; and connect to virtual private networks while flying. The easy-to-use service provides passengers with full Internet access on any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device at speeds similar to wireless mobile broadband services on the ground.