US Airways expanding in-flight Wi-Fi to 90 percent of domestic fleet

A new deal with in-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo will see US Airways expand the service to 90 percent of its domestic mainline fleet. Wi-Fi will be added to the airline’s Airbus A319, A320, and Embraer 190 planes, as well as Embraer 170 and 175 crafts operating under US Airways Express. The rollout is expected to begin this summer, and all of the Airbus planes will be outfitted with Gogo’s latest air-to-ground technology, ATG-4, which it claims will “significantly increase the data rate” for the service.

And while you’re on their Wi-Fi network, you’ll also be able to make use of Gogo’s Vision streaming service to watch movies and TV shows and play games. However, the cost for this is separate from what you’ll pay for Wi-Fi, with content ranging from $0.99 to $5.99 — though you will have between 24 and 72 hours to continue watching whatever you paid for after you land. While in-flight Wi-Fi has been slow to catch on due to a combination of high prices and limited availability, the continued expansion — there are currently around 1,700 Wi-Fi-enabled planes operating in the US — should help increase usage. Now we just need to see some price cuts.