Between struggling with horrid internet access and being told your tablet
will crash the plane, flying on a passenger jet can be a nightmare for nerds. At
least Southwest is trying to make things a bit more manageable — the airline has
teamed up with DISH to offer free access to live and on-demand TV on your iPhone
or iPad.
Today the two companies moved their television service off the runway and into the sky (airplane metaphor). The service, called “TV Flies Free,” will work on iOS devices and other unnamed phones, tablets or laptops — “certain personal devices,” according to DISH.
The TV programming is delivered over Wi-Fi on the airplane, and it’s a free service regardless of whether you’ve chosen to pay Southwest’s $8-per-day Wi-Fi access fee. Also, there’s no special app — your device’s browser handles video playback.
So while you can watch Wimbledon or The West Wing for free, checking your e-mail or simply tweeting about what you’re watching will still cost you $8 per day per device. Southwest currently has over 400 planes in operation equipped with Wi-Fi, so there’s a good chance you can watch TV if you’re traveling on one of its aircraft.
Of course you still can’t watch anything while the plane is taking off or landing, at least for now. The FAA is currently investigating loosening its restrictions on the use of electronic devices during take-off and landing. But even if the rules change, that still won’t fix all the other problems with using personal technology on airplanes: over-priced, underwhelming Wi-Fi, the scarcity of power outlets (thank you, Virgin America for providing power), and those terrible headrest touchscreens with confusing UIs, boring games, and unresponsive screens that require you to tap so hard it annoys the person in front of you.
Today the two companies moved their television service off the runway and into the sky (airplane metaphor). The service, called “TV Flies Free,” will work on iOS devices and other unnamed phones, tablets or laptops — “certain personal devices,” according to DISH.
The TV programming is delivered over Wi-Fi on the airplane, and it’s a free service regardless of whether you’ve chosen to pay Southwest’s $8-per-day Wi-Fi access fee. Also, there’s no special app — your device’s browser handles video playback.
So while you can watch Wimbledon or The West Wing for free, checking your e-mail or simply tweeting about what you’re watching will still cost you $8 per day per device. Southwest currently has over 400 planes in operation equipped with Wi-Fi, so there’s a good chance you can watch TV if you’re traveling on one of its aircraft.
Of course you still can’t watch anything while the plane is taking off or landing, at least for now. The FAA is currently investigating loosening its restrictions on the use of electronic devices during take-off and landing. But even if the rules change, that still won’t fix all the other problems with using personal technology on airplanes: over-priced, underwhelming Wi-Fi, the scarcity of power outlets (thank you, Virgin America for providing power), and those terrible headrest touchscreens with confusing UIs, boring games, and unresponsive screens that require you to tap so hard it annoys the person in front of you.
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