Delta Air Lines' flagship aircraft is about to get a little bit more premium.
01.12.2023 - 19:49 / thepointsguy.com
Regional jets don't always offer the most comfortable onboard experience, but American Airlines has some good news.
The Fort Worth-based carrier announced on Thursday that it'll outfit its regional fleet with high-speed Wi-Fi. Specifically, American will install Intelsat's satellite connectivity across nearly 500 of its smallest two-class jets.
This new technology will allow flyers to connect to streaming speeds on its smallest planes. American promises low latency for the internet connection, which should mean minimal buffering, if any, when trying to watch a show or stream music while in flight.
American didn't share a rollout timeline for this new high-speed service (beyond starting the installations in 2024). American Eagle regional affiliates currently operate the following two-class jets: CRJ-700, CRJ-900, Embraer E170 and Embraer E175 — all of which will receive the Wi-Fi upgrades.
The CRJ-200 and Embraer E145, which don't currently offer Wi-Fi, unfortunately won't receive internet service as part of this announcement.
American's existing regional jet Wi-Fi provider, Gogo, is painfully slow and often unreliable. It uses an outdated air-to-ground network that was one of the first mainstream solutions for inflight connectivity.
The upgrades will no doubt be big news for travelers who find themselves on American Eagle planes.
American's move to team up with Intelsat for regional connectivity comes just weeks after Delta Air Lines announced a similar solution for its fleet of Delta Connection jets. The Atlanta-based carrier is teaming up with Hughes Network Systems to bring faster and more reliable Wi-Fi to 400 Boeing 717s and regional jets operating in North America.
All of this enhanced connectivity comes as the largest U.S. airlines are racing to offer an onboard experience that mimics the living room. Delta and United are both committed to offering seatback TVs on every single jet, as well as high-speed Wi-Fi on every plane.
On the other hand, American ditched entertainment systems across nearly its entire domestic fleet, but it does offer streaming-capable Wi-Fi on every mainline jet.
While there's been industry pressure to make Wi-Fi access cheaper (or even free, like om JetBlue and Delta), American continues to charge more than any of its key competitors for internet access.
Case in point: A few weeks ago, a full-flight pass on my trip from Los Angeles to New York came out to $29. Had I instead been flying with JetBlue (or on select Delta planes), Wi-Fi would've been free. If I chose United instead, I'd only be on the hook for a much more modest $8.
Hopefully, as American's Wi-Fi gets faster, it'll ultimately invest in free fleetwide Wi-Fi.
Delta Air Lines' flagship aircraft is about to get a little bit more premium.
This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy .
America's rail system has long paled in comparison to the bullet trains of Japan and France's Train à Grande Vitesse. But now, historic new federal funding could finally bring high-speed train travel to the US.
The White House is announcing billions of dollars in new funding for train projects from coast to coast.
High-speed rail in the United States may soon be a reality. The White House recently announced the allocation of $8.2 billion in funding for several key rail projects including a Las Vegas to Los Angeles corridor; a Raleigh, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia, route; new service throughout California’s central valley; and more. The investment is a component of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” Agenda. While high-speed rail has been a popular wish among travelers for many years, the allocation of funding helps put the project in motion, with one administration official sharing with Travel + Leisure that the Las Vegas to Los Angeles route could be completed in advance of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “If you’ve ever seen the standard of passenger rail service in Japan, Germany, Spain, or Italy, and come home and wondered, 'Why can’t we have these nice things?’ This is the beginning of the answer to that. Help is on the way,” Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, told T+L during a press briefing on the announcement. Buttigieg said that the lack of investment in new rail services over the last several decades is a trend that is now being reversed and that while change won’t happen overnight, travelers will see improvements within a few years. Over 35 rail projects were named as part of the funding announcement, including:
The war between Israel and Hamas has made the already skittish airline industry even more diligent about messaging on passenger attire.
To date, American has canceled fewer flights than any other Thanksgiving period in its history.
American will offer more seats than ever before out of Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) next summer, offering more than 10,000 one-stop connections around the world. New service to Barcelona, Spain (BCN) and Redmond, Oregon (RDM) will take off next summer.
American currently makes high-speed connectivity available on 900 aircraft across its fleet – the most in the industry.
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and American Airlines are going head-to-head in a complaint before the U.S. Department of Transport (DOT). Skift reached out to ASTA for the group’s latest position following a response from American Airlines last month.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, December 1. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
American Airlines is planning to improve its in-flight Wi-Fi access on regional jets, allowing passengers to easily check emails, browse the internet or stream videos.