JET BLUE ADDING WI FI TO FLEET

Jet Blue and ViaSat announced in a press release today a preliminary memorandum of intent has been signed.  This is the first step to bringing WiFi to the Jet Blue fleet of airplanes.  From the press release:

ViaSat and JetBlue have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the provision of in-flight broadband access and other services for customers on JetBlue’s fleet of more than 160 aircraft using ViaSat advanced Ka-band satellites. Under the arrangement, ViaSat will provide Ka-band antenna components and SurfBeam®2 modems for installation on the airline’s EMBRAER E190 and Airbus A320 aircraft types along with two-way transmission bandwidth services using the WildBlue-1 and high-capacity ViaSat-1 satellites. JetBlue subsidiary, LiveTV LLC, will manage the integration of the ViaSat broadband and related components onboard the aircraft as well as providing the Wi-Fi enabled services into the overall cabin experience.


The memorandum is non-binding but both companies expect to have a difinitive agreement in place by the end of the year.  Jet Blue which offers live TV feeds in all sections of it's cabins feels the addition of WiFi will improve the "overall cabin experience." [BGR]