Air Canada the first Canadian carrier to offer customers in flight Wi Fi connectivity says that it plans to begin rolling out connectivity across its North American fleet in May under an agreement with Gogo .
The agreement will also provide for future type-testing of Gogo satellite solutions for Wi-Fi on international flights.
"The introduction of Wi-Fi across our narrow-body North American fleet will be another welcome amenity for customers," said Benjamin Smith, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer.
Air Canada presently has two Wi-Fi-equipped Airbus 319 aircraft operating in Canada and the USA and, subject to a final agreement with Gogo, plans to begin outfitting its remaining Airbus A319, A320 and A321 and Embraer 190 fleet types, as well as its Air Canada Express CRJ-705 and Embraer 175 aircraft, with Air-To-Ground Wi-Fi connectivity.
The installations are to begin in May with the goal of equipping 29 aircraft in 2014 and a targeted completion date of December 2015 for the designated 130 narrow-body aircraft.
Gogo has also provided Air Canada the opportunity to type-trial two satellite-based systems, using Gogo 2KU and Inmarsat GlobalXpress KA-band solutions. These tests are expected to be conducted in 2015. The results will help determine future connectivity options that can be considered as the technology continues to evolve.
Current regulations prohibit the use of cellular phones for voice communication.
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