United Airlines gets approval to offer Internet on planes

United Airlines gets approval to offer Internet on planes

United Airlines has confirmed that it has now received approval from the US government to install instruments on board to let the passengers surf the Internet wirelessly. With this report, it becomes the first US domestic airlines to get such an approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Travelers on board on the United Airlines planes would now be able to use the Internet using Wi-Fi technology that is powered by a short-range signal used for connecting computers to the Internet. Dennis Cary, United’s senior vice president in charge of marketing said in a statement about this ruling: “Our research shows that connecting to the Internet is customers’ most preferred form of communication to the ground, and this certification is a crucial step to bring this in-flight wireless access to our customers.”

To get the approval, the airline had to work with Verizon Airfone to showcase a working example of the process to prove that it does not interfere with the routine functioning of the aircraft. However, the approval only applies on the United’s B757-200 aircraft, which was used in the test. The company would now be aiming to get the process approved for all their planes.

Lufthansa in Germany is already capable of providing these services.