Virgin America and Gogo announced today that the carrier will be the first airline to offer Gogo's next-generation ATG-4 service. The two companies debuted the in-flight Internet access almost three years ago, and in May 2009, Virgin offered fleetwide Wi-Fi access via Gogo service.
According to Gogo, the new ATG-4 service will increase Wi-Fi capacity by about four times the current performance. This means you can download files faster and can even stream HD content without much latency, while flying. The companies say this improvement is achieved via the addition of directional antenna, dual-modem, and EV-DO Rev. B technology.
Gogo's ATG-4 service on Virgin America is scheduled to arrive on aircraft beginning in the first half of 2012. Existing ATG systems can be upgraded at low cost, the companies said.
Currently, the Gogo service is available for $12.95 for flights of more than 3 hours, $9.95 for flights between 1.5 and 3 hours, and $4.95 for flights of 1.5 hours or less. Frequent fliers can also opt for an unlimited monthly plan of $39.95. According to Virgin America, on average about one-third of its passengers log on to the Gogo service.