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Comment by DGAP | Hacker News Reader

Eh, most airlines going for satellite WiFi aren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts - they're doing it because the unit economics make sense. There are exceptions like JetBlue who offer it for "free" though.

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If you do the math on the high capital costs to install and FAA certify the satellite equipment, then the ongoing transponder costs, then the low conversion rate, and finally the fuel costs due to the protruding bubble for the antenna...they are lucky if it breaks even.

I think they do it because customers have shown a willingness to choose flights based on which has wifi (and they now show up in aggregators like Kayak and Hipmunk). Previously, price and schedule were basically the only differentiators that actually affected peoples' purchasing decisions. When it means selling a ticket vs. not selling a ticket, it's much easier to make the case for the capital costs.

They seriously need to figure out how to fold WiFi in as an option in the ticketing process. It's annoying to have to fumble around with a credit card on the plane, typing in my address and billing information (which they obviously already have).

Make it easy to purchase WiFi access and just about everyone will click that box. Once on the plane, just have the customer scan their boarding pass or something to enable the service. Laptop users could be accommodated by entering the usual 6-character confirmation code that they already use for everything else.

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