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Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta

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Michael Wiegand
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
Cut Alaska and Southwest some slack, guys. Their respective boardrooms only just discovered that the internet exists and that people might want to use it on a plane.
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Kaiser-Machead
10/08/09

@Michael Wiegand: The saddest part is the photo above is not retouched.
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Rick Lobrecht
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
how would this work? An ad injecting proxy server at the access point?
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jamjen
10/08/09

@Rick Lobrecht: Not too sure, but I remember back in the day of NetZero actually being free, they'd have a banner ad that was "always on top" that was it's own window (not the browser). So you could force users to download a small executable to use the WiFi (not to connect, but to actually reach out to the internet). You have to launch the file, which would then take up ad space on your desktop.

I have no idea if this is even close to what they'd try (I'd actually bet not), but it's plausible.
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jakebathman
10/08/09

@jamjen: I can't remember what airport I was at, but they had an ad-supported wifi service where you had to watch an ad in your browser to get 15 minutes of connectivity. Getting on the network was open, just the browsing part was restricted until you watched the ad (or paid a little $ to get ad-free internet).
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
I wonder: Could one person make their PC a hotspot, and everyone leech off them?
[lifehacker.com]
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psychiccheese
10/08/09

@GitEmSteveDave_IsWaving: Pay for the connection, sell to passengers at 2$/person.

I like the way you think.
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Kaiser-Machead
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
I'd still like to pay to avoid ads. I'd get enough ads on the pages I visit (unless Adblock stops em dead), so I don't want ads popping up every now and then from the actual WiFi service itself. It may sting for some, but in my case, after paying $300+ for a flight to wherever, $30+ for the cab ride to the airport and other varied costs for drinks and food I get at either the terminal, mid-flight or both, what's another $10+ for access for a couple of hours.
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Edited by Kaiser-Machead at 10/08/09 12:59 PM Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

jakebathman
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
I have absolutely no problems with anything ad-supported. I don't expect anything for free, and it's a good compromise on a paying service.

Who knows, I might actually buy something from SkyMall instead of thinking about it on the plane then forgetting all about it once I leave.
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scoobydoo
10/08/09

In reply to Southwest and Alaska Airlines to Test Ad-Supported Wi-Fi
Looks like the source article screwed up - JiWire already exists, they are just one of the companies behind the new service.
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SinisterBark
02/11/09

In reply to Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta
If I am that guy, I am kicking the HELL out of that idiot in front of me

Want to put your seat back? You are entitled to that just as I am entitled to put my foot up your ass while doing so
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elementary
02/11/09

@SinisterBark: Perhaps you should avoid airline travel. You expect everyone on the plane to keep their seat upright to maximize the space of the passanger behind them?

My seat reclines as soon as the wheels leave the ground. Don't wake me up just because you're feeling cramped and you're too cheap to spring for first class.
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GizMadone
02/11/09

In reply to Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta
Southwest actually has more legroom (pitch) than the coach seating offered by the following airlines:

US Airways

United

Northwest

Spirit

Swiss

Qantas

KLM

Delta

Continental

American

Airtran

Air France

British Airways

Air Canada

Hawaiian

Alaska

Source: [www.seatguru.com]

Southwest may be cheap, but they're not second-rate.
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Sloth
02/11/09

@GizMadone: Only by 1-2 inches.....sadly! Best thing to do is check in EXACTLY 24 hours before your flight, get on the "A" list, and get yourself either a really good Exit row seat. Works like a charm every time!
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/11/09

@Sloth: You'd be surprised what a difference 1-2 inches makes...
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frigg
02/11/09

In reply to Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta
F netbooks. Will airlines allow us to stow a desktop computer under the seat, hook it up to a decent monitor and keyboard on the food tray, and wirelessly connect to a printer/scanner/fax in the overhead?
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Anonymoose
02/11/09

@frigg: give me room for a dual monitor setup or give me nothing. not that much to ask. oh, and also a document shredder for any confidential faxes i may receive in transit.
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frigg
02/11/09

@Anonymoose: dual monitors are sweet, but the one thing I insist on when I fly is that the airline allows me to tap into the plane's projection system to test out business presentations and get proper feedback from other passengers. Otherwise, I have to use my own projector which means about half the people in the cabin can hear me, but have a very poor view of the presentation.

I mean, it's one thing to hear about the hallucinogenic powers of Abraham Lincoln's morning breath, or the cost saving benefits of using a PS3 as a front end for an Integrated Remote Neurosurgical System, but for passengers who are primarily visual learners, without pictures, their feedback can be a little iffy. And frankly, how fair is that to ME, a paying passenger, just trying to get a little work done, and like any other flying passenger evaluating a presentation, needs a broad enough sample to generate meaningful data?!
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Anonymoose
02/11/09

@frigg: wow, i didn't even think that was possible, at least if you were flying coach. and since southwest doesn't even have a first-class section, i didn't want to be too demanding. you've helped me, frigg. and now the passengers on flight 92 thank you as well.
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frigg
02/11/09

@Anonymoose: Sure thing. It's like my father always said, "if you don't ask, you never know." Like when you fly, you'd be surprised at how many other passengers are willing to share their food, but you have to ask. Or if you feel a little cramped in coach, if you just ask the passengers around you to stand around the toilet area for an hour or two so that you can use their seats to stretch out, most are happy to accommodate. I think there's a website somewhere that has a bunch of these flying tips so I really can't take credit.
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Anonymoose
02/11/09

@frigg: man, where were these tips for me on my last trip? i was too scared to do anything. there i was, sitting behind the crying kids and sitting next to the obese woman who smelled like moth balls and pig vomit. all i had to do was ask them to stand by the bathroom? i thought i was being polite by not asking them to quiet down or stop being fat and smelly and instead sweetly forcing the old lady in the front of the plane to switch seats with me.
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ripfire
02/11/09

@frigg: May be true for continental flights, but travelers on short commuter flights are always jerks (esp. LAX-SJC)
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frigg
02/11/09

@Anonymoose: Actually, another tip from that site for dealing with crying kids and obese women who smell like moth balls and pig vomit is to offer to show them the fascinating new design of the plane's emergency exit, and then, once assembled in front of it, ask one of the stewardesses if she can demonstrate it's ability to open mid-flight, a feature many are delighted to demo if you ask politely. You'll be expecting the rapid depressurization to follow, but chances are they won't. And yes, ripfire: this'll work even on short commuter trips!
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LavaTea
02/11/09

In reply to Southwest Airlines' In-Flight Wi-Fi Free While In Beta
I can't believe no one made a comment on the all of the men in the picture... and they are all sitting in the back. That would have made me just a bit nervous. no offence to anyone.
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frigg
02/11/09

@LavaTea: The man in the salmon-colored plaid shirt used to be a woman, which is why most commenters probably weren't all that concerned about all those men sitting in the back of the plane like that.
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