In light of the airline devaluations we’ve seen the past several weeks, just about the only good news in the airline industry lately has been regarding the use of electronic devices aboard planes, as the FAA has finally updated their in-air electronic device policy. Most of the major US carriers have updated their policies to…
Continue reading: Southwest First Airline With Gate-to-Gate Wifi
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
The email did not specifically mention laptops. I've heard varying things about whether you're allowed to use a laptop below 10k feet under the new rules. Some people are saying no, since it could be a heavy projectile...but when I was on 4 US Airways flights last week, people were using laptops from gate to gate and flight attendants didn't seem to mind.
@Andrew B -- I was on a SWA flight last night and I'm pretty sure they said laptops should be stowed due to the possible projectile issue. I used my iPad gate to gate.
I'm sure gogo can work under 10k as long as the altimeter automatic shutoff is disabled. It would be a mod on every plane on each carrier - maybe a software update but could be a hardware update too.
I enjoyed this new benefit yesterday DEN-PHX. I continue to be impressed with just how well their wifi works. I've used it on roughly a dozen flights, some up to four hours in length, and have had no issues. Streaming quality is just excellent.
Also appreciated my first WN Pre Check at DEN. Unfortunately the Pre Check line was about triple the length of the normal lines, but that's not Southwest's fault.
Even with the minor devaluation of their WGA awards next year, I'm appreciating that at least you know what you're getting with them as far as award travel. Didn't think I'd ever say it, but in light of the Mileage Plus, Delta, and soon-to-be AA devaluations, I'm liking the revenue-based award model more and more.
@BallardFlyer GoGo's issue isn't with the equipment onboard, but rather with the way the ground stations are configured. They are almost undoubtedly using directional antennas pointed skyward. While some reception may be possible, the system isn't designed or optimized for that mode of operation.
This is analogous to the situation with using mobile phones while airborne: the system simply wasn't designed to accommodate users at a positioned above the tower and moving at 500+ mph. While it may work sometimes, the quality of service is hit or miss and not guaranteed, especially if there are lots of similar users.
Speaking of Southwest, I just got an email from them with the 50k bonus points offer. Guess it wasn't completely over on Monday.