Gogo improves In-Flight access for passengers
July 9, 2020
By Chris Forrester
Until now most airlines restricted the use of broadband access for passengers on flights to heights greater than 10,000 ft. Gogo says it is dramatically improving access.
Gogo says that beginning July 20th it will lower this access height to just 3000 ft (1,000 mtrs) which means an extra 15-20 minutes of access on many flights.
The service will be available on business aviation aircraft equipped with Gogo’s AVANCE L5 or L3 systems, and on commercial aviation regional jets equipped with Gogo ATG-4 and ACPU2 technology.
The lower service altitude will enable aircraft that fly shorter flights and spend little to no time above 10,000 feet the opportunity to take advantage of in-flight connectivity for the majority of their flights.
“Approximately 25 per cent of flights by Gogo equipped regional jets have durations under 60 minutes,” says the company. Gogo has been testing the systems over the past few months.
“The additional connectivity time is a significant enhancement and will deliver even more value to customers,” said Sergio Aguirre, president of Gogo Business Aviation. “It makes connectivity available to those who believed inflight Wi-Fi wasn’t an option because they fly shorter routes.”
Gogo will begin a phased process to enable service at 3,000 feet through ground-system configuration and remote software updates – all without requiring any onboard manual intervention. And Gogo says there will be no extra charge.
“By lowering the altitude where passengers can be connected, we’re improving the service to our airline customers and their passengers,” said John Wade, president of Gogo Commercial Aviation. “Passengers who fly shorter routes will now be able to be connected, allowing them to make the most of their time during those flights.”