Southwest Airlines Offering In-Flight iMessaging for $2 Per Day

http://www.macrumors.com/2013/12/11/southwest-airlines-offering-in-flight-imessaging-for-2-per-day/

by jkupferman • 13 years ago

19 36 13 years ago

macrumors.com

kalleboo• 13 years ago

No net neutrality in the air at least...

Zombieball2• 13 years ago

Perhaps I am missing something as I have not been following the issue very closely.

Didn't the FAA recently announce that use of mobile devices during flight, or gate-to-gate, is now allowed?

What is the incentive to pay $2 to send iMessages vs. simply turning on your data connection & sending iMessage as you would regularly?

Is the issue that Southwest Airlines has not opted into the new FAA regulations? Is cellular coverage poor during most flights (I admittedly haven't tried using my cellphone during flights)?

gregorymichael• 13 years ago

cell coverage is poor.

jakewalker• 13 years ago

Use of devices in airplane mode is okay. No data/4G connections allowed during flight (though that's hard to enforce, it is also damn hard to get a worthwhile signal and will quickly drain your battery as your phone searches for service).

smackfu• 13 years ago

It's not poor, it just doesn't work. The recent talk about allowing in-flight cell phone use was in relation to the airlines installing an in-plane microcell of some sort for your phone to connect though.

baddox• 13 years ago

Except for the calls that made it through from United 93, or was it at lower altitude at the time?

adrr• 13 years ago

Some flights on foreign airlines allow cell phone(assume through microcells). Just not on US domestic flights.

gojomo• 13 years ago

Recent announcement allowed electronic devices but not yet phone functions that communicate with cellular base towers.

On recent flights with both United and Southwest, crews have emphasized devices must be in 'airplane mode' even if wifi is enabled later (for the inflight wifi service).

Cellular access is still controversial:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/disruptions-calling...

the_watcher• 13 years ago

You would have to connect to WiFi, which is $8 (honestly worth it if you would use internet at all on flights over 2 hours).

ozi2• 13 years ago

You can't get a cellphone signal 35,000 feet in the air.

Zombieball2• 13 years ago

Haha, thanks for the explanation.

My understanding of cell phone tower ranges is definitely limited, but I should've realized this. Now I feel stupid!

zinssmeister• 13 years ago

We can argue about the price point, but charging a la carte is a great idea.

jimktrains2• 13 years ago

Missing an /s tag? Perhaps they, or your home ISP should charge access to hacker news?

RKearney• 13 years ago

They're not "charging" you to use different services. They're taking their $8/day WiFi access charge, and reducing it by 75% if all you need it for is to send iMessages.

What you just said makes it seem like you think Southwest is charging people $2 on top of their $8 fee to use WiFi, which they are most certainly not doing.

MichaelGG• 13 years ago

I wonder how hard it is to pretend to be an iOS device and use iMessage as a tunnel. Probably not worth it at all.

nwh2• 13 years ago

Emulating iMessage is an awful job that only a select few seem to have managed. The protocol is confused and complicated, the binaries are heavily obfuscated, and Apple's servers ban quickly and with little warning. Even those that have succeeded don't seem to have emulated it correctly.

jacalata• 13 years ago

Yea, but that's if you want to emulate iMessage to the Apple servers in order to send actual iMessages. I think the OP was asking about emulating it to the airplane firewall in order to tunnel through, which could be a lot easier and more useful.

nwh2• 13 years ago

http://code.kryo.se/iodine/

sureshv• 13 years ago

Flew out and into SJC yesterday on SW and all day wifi was $8 (covered both trips). With roundtrip fair costing anywhere from $200-$300, I'd rather pay for wifi than send some texts to iOS only users for $2. Sounds kind of lame.

Kiro3• 13 years ago

I thought most airlines had free wi-fi nowadays.

Scriptor• 13 years ago

Free? All the airlines I've been on had wifi but usually charged for it.

Kiro3• 13 years ago

Never seen anyone charge for it. Are you in the US?

ozi2• 13 years ago

Free Wifi is usually a benefit of being a frequent flyer. For Southwest, you need to be an A-List Preferred member (50 flights per year to qualify).

Kiro3• 13 years ago

In the US maybe. In the rest of the world it's usually free.

seanmcdirmid• 13 years ago

I have never seen free wifi on an airline. Maybe in biz class?

lukeqsee• 13 years ago

    1. Pay $2.
    2. SSH/DNS/whatever tunnel out through iMessage port.
    3. Gloat? Profit?

Seriously, we probably all thought it. Just don't. It'll make life really rough for all of our fellow iPhone addicts who will end up having to pay $8 again. (Also, you'd be breaking contract, but I imagine that doesn't matter nearly as much to you, now does it?)

batbomb• 13 years ago

1. Sniff wireless traffic

2. Hijack MAC address

(If you're gonna cheat the system, might as well go all the way)

superuser22• 13 years ago

The filter could be smart enough to allow traffic on that port only to Apple.

reinhardt• 13 years ago

Misread it as in-flight massaging for $2/day.. Oh well.

knodi2• 13 years ago

Fuck you airlines!! You charge us more for tickets, you take away services and now you're nickel and dimeing us.

AH4oFVbPT4f8• 13 years ago

It won't be much longer until the airlines say, fly NY->LA for only $1500 including all fees such as being able to board the plane, bring a carry on, check a bag, get in flight meal, free wifi, etc etc.

Once we all fed up with nickel and dimeing they'll go back to flat rate to "save us money" only to then go back to al la carte.

knodi2• 13 years ago

Free god damn wifi, its fucking 2013 and tickets cost like $300!!

encoderer2• 13 years ago

I believe there is some technical merit here. Bandwidth to an airplane is limited and charging a small fee keeps it from being inundated.

When it's free -- like when Google sponsors it at Christmas -- it's not usable it's so slow.

Southwest Airlines Offering In-Flight iMessaging for $2 Per Day

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