American Airlines appears to be keeping its in-flight broadband connectivity options open. RWG can exclusively reveal that the carrier recently issued a request for information (RFI) to a range of connectivity providers. Sources say the RFI was issued after American began its trial of Aircell's ATG-based Gogo service, which began on 25 June.
A RFI quite simply enables companies to compare and constrast the capabilties of various suppliers. Pretty standard practice.
Asked about the solicitation, an American spokesman says: "We would not have any comment about your question."
He adds: "We always say (because it's true) that we talk to lots of people about lots of different things all the time, but we don't disclose the nature of the conversations, or whether any such conversation actually occurred."
So what does American thinks of Gogo and when will the carrier decide whether to tap Colorado-based Aircell for a full-on, fleetwide deal?
The trial is "still ongoing at this time, so we've not made any pronouncements or decisions at this stage," says the spokesman. "As you may remember, the test period was not firm - we initially described it as three to six months."
Okay. We'll get back to ya on 25 December. Hey, that's Christmas! Ho ho ho and a go go go.
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