United Airlines has extended its wi-fi service to the first of its United Express regional aircraft. By mid-2015, the airline will have outfitted more than 200 E175, E170 and CRJ700 regional jets with Gogo’s ATG-4 air-to-ground wi-fi product.
Additionally, United will begin providing PED-based entertainment on its regional jets this year, offering customers hundreds of complimentary movies and television shows to view on their wi-fi-enabled iOS and Android devices using United’s mobile app, as well as on laptops.
“Expanding in-flight connectivity and personal device programming aligns the customer experience on our regional jets with our mainline aircraft and will enable many more of our customers to enjoy Internet access and streaming entertainment on their personal devices when traveling with us,” said Tom O’Toole, United’s senior vice president of marketing and loyalty and president of MileagePlus.
United’s regional jet wi-fi installations begin as the airline continues to outfit its mainline fleet with wi-fi, which the carrier currently offers on nearly three-quarters of its domestic mainline fleet. The company has installed personal device entertainment on nearly 200 of its mainline aircraft, including its entire Boeing 747, Airbus A319 and A320 fleets and its nine Boeing 777 aircraft that fly primarily between the continental USA and Hawaii.
