Aircraft

Alaska Airlines will become the first carrier to offer Row 44's Ku band-based connectivity solution when it begins testing the service within weeks.

The system is being installed on a single Boeing 737. Should the trial prove successful, Alaska intends to begin fleet-wide installations.

This test will be followed by a four-aircraft trial by US low-cost giant Southwest Airlines.

A number of US carriers and Air Canada have announced plans to adopt rival connectivity solution, Aircell, which operates over an air-to-ground link. American Airlines is already in the process of testing the system aboard 15 Boeing 767-200s.

But Row 44 CEO John Guidon believes the California-based firm's domestic customers "have a much deeper agenda than just trying to get something on the plane".

With respect to pricing, Row 44 president Greg Fialcowitz says the cost point is crucial. "I don't think people will pay more than $10 [to connect during flight]," he says.

Neither Alaska nor Southwest has revealed their pricing strategy for the service.

Row 44 is in the final stages of receiving US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing and is also in the process of working on FAA approvals.

The company has been testing its solution onboard a Grumman Albatros testbed aircraft. It selected the Albatros after discovering that the curvature atop the fuselage is similar to that of a 737. The radome that contains the AeroSat-made antenna and the ring fit snugly on the Albatros, says Fialcowitz.

The company anticipates launching a European network in the second quarter of 2009. To this end, Row 44 is opening a parts depot and engineering support facility located south of London.

"We expect to see more fleets deployed with Row 44," says Fialcowitz.