94 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018
on 100% of its fleet. “We made the
decision to connect to people’s
personal devices, so we don’t offer
screens in the seatbacks. It adds weight
to the aeroplane, it adds maintenance
costs and, invariably, there will be a seat
that doesn’t work and that’s not going to
be a really good customer experience,”
van de Ven points out. “Since our Wi-Fi
is satellite-based, you can use it from
the moment you walk on the aeroplane
to the moment you walk off. You can
watch TV or movies as well as connect-
ing to the internet. All of that is, if not
industry-leading, close to it.”
Southwest’s biggest Wi-Fi challenge
is ensuring it works on the aircraft as
well as it does in an office or home.
“That’s a reasonable expectation which
is just about bandwidth,” says the COO.
“We’ve got two suppliers – Global Eagle
Entertainment and Panasonic – who
provide the systems. With both of
those, we’re trying to double the band-
width from where we were in 2017 to
allow for an improved experience.”
The Wi-Fi connection on Southwest
costs $8 while, he notes, some charge
as much as $25-$40: “The TV is free on
board and if you want to pick a movie,
they’re somewhere between $5 and
$8 each. So, I think we have a great
onboard product, compared with some
of the others out there.”
While in-flight entertainment and
connectivity (IFEC) fees represent one
ancillary revenue stream, you won’t find
baggage or change fees providingothers. Southwest remains steadfast
in its decision not to unbundle such
service. “We don’t see any reason for
charging these fees. We want to offer
you an everyday low fare for flying
thousands of miles away. It’s reasonable
that you’re likely to take a piece of
baggage, so we’d like you to check it in.
We understand when you buyBELOW LEFT • Southwest isn’t
averse to adding marketing
messages to the fuselages
of its aircraft.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/EUROPIXOn board the first com-
mercial service using
Southwest’s new 737 MAX
8 – note the cabin’s bright
and airy design.