JetBlue Advances Effort to Become the Only U.S. Airline With Free High-Speed Wi-Fi on Every Aircraft

JetBlue JBLU today announced it has passed two major milestones on its path to becoming the only U.S. carrier to offer free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet on every aircraft. JetBlue has completed installation of Fly-Fi® on its fleet of more than 150 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, and its first Fly-Fi-enabled E190 made its official inaugural flight this week. The airline anticipates it will complete the installation of Fly-Fi on all 60 of its E190s by fall 2016, at which point it will have completed installation of Fly-Fi on the entire JetBlue fleet. Fly-Fi uses Ka-band satellite technology to offer a broadband Internet experience similar to what customers have at home, including the ability to stream video and use multiple devices at once. "Soon every JetBlue customer will step onboard knowing their aircraft is equipped with free, fast Internet and entertainment, the same way they expect our friendly service and the most legroom in coach," said Jamie Perry, vice president of brand and product development, JetBlue. "Our Fly-Fi model has proven that there is a way to offer customers more without adding extra costs to their travel." These milestones come as JetBlue and Amazon prepare to bring unlimited, on-demand entertainment with the upcoming launch of Amazon Video onboard, giving Amazon Prime members instant streaming access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes in-flight, at no additional cost with their membership. With speeds up to 20 mbps per device, Fly-Fi has enabled JetBlue to offer more in-flight entertainment than any other US airline (a). JetBlue's game-changing collaborations with Amazon, MLB at Bat, and The Wall Street Journal use real Internet streaming to exponentially expand the content available at 35,000 feet in the air. Customers connected to Fly-Fi can access content on The Hub via their personal devices. The Hub hosts a growing collection of entertainment, educational content and news. The Hub includes a wealth of content including video from Vox Media, PBS, NatGeo and more, the latest e-books from HarperCollins Publishers and magazines from Time Inc. JetBlue's differentiated approach of providing high-speed Internet at no additional cost with a variety of entertainment choices and the ability to stream video is consistent with the airline's founding mission of bringing humanity back to air travel. When JetBlue launched, it revolutionized inflight entertainment by introducing seatback televisions with free live programming -- a popular feature that remains today. JetBlue has set itself apart with award-winning service and the onboard product. JetBlue flights offer the most legroom in coach (b), unlimited and complimentary name-brand snacks and soft drinks, 36 channels of live DIRECTV® programming at every seat in addition to 100+ channels of SiriusXM Satellite Radio®.