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Airbus, Delta, and Sprint Are on a Quest for In-Flight Wi-fi That Actually Works (fortune.com)
It's 2018, so why is it still seemingly impossible to get a decent wi-fi on an airplane? From a report: Well, a lot of reasons, it turns out. The Wall Street Journal recently enumerated them: hardware, software, government regulation, aviation regulation, and rivalries between wireless and satellite companies. Despite the obstacles, a new alliance between Airbus, Delta Air Lines, Sprint, and two U.S. satellite companies is trying to find a way to provide faster Internet and a better user experience. Japan's SoftBank, which owns 80% of Sprint, and India's Bharti Airtel are also reportedly supporting the project. The group, which calls itself Seamless Air Alliance, envisions a world where a variety of devices could easily connect to the Internet while in flight at industry-leading speeds, rivaling cable and 5G. The businesses that are either involved in or backing the alliance pack a punch: they already serve about 150 million airline passengers and 450 million mobile users around the globe.
JetBlue has free in-flight wi-fi right now. Wikipedia says they're served by Exede, a satellite internet company which also powers internet on United and Virgin America. Fast enough to stream NetFlix (at least, they claim so, I've never tried) and definitely fast enough for my recreational browsing. I'm not sure why Delta and Airbus would be late to the game, but I recall reading somewhere that their current in-flight connectivity is via a network of ground-based stations (probably the source of the Sprint connection), so they may be stuck with a different web of contractual agreements and regulatory hurdles than satcom.
(JetBlue also has free snacks and drinks and decent legroom in coach, which is why they'll always get my business if they're flying where I need to go.)