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Southwest Airlines Chooses Viasat's High-Speed In-Flight Connectivity for New Aircraft Deliveries

May 11, 2022

Viasat, Inc. announced Southwest Airlines Co. selected the Company's next generation Ka-band satellite in-flight connectivity (IFC) system to be factory-installed on all new aircraft deliveries, starting this fall.

By selecting Viasat's industry-leading solution for its new aircraft, Southwest Airlines will provide customers enhanced internet capabilities while onboard, including the ability to stream content and entertainment, watch live television, and access social media platforms and productivity applications on any internet-ready device, gate-to-gate. Streaming-capable Wi-Fi requires a fast and robust data connection — especially to deliver high quality service on all connected devices while in-flight, regardless of how many passengers are using the system.

Viasat technology solves a key challenge in providing high quality connectivity in aviation by addressing variable concentrated demand, such as many aircraft in the same geographical area – at airport hubs or traveling on popular flight routes. The bandwidth advantage and flexibility offered by Viasat's satellite network provides a consistently high quality, high-speed, and content-rich in-flight Wi-Fi experience.

Don Buchman, Viasat's vice president and general manager, Commercial Aviation, added: "We admire Southwest Airlines' deeply customer-centric vision. The overall passenger experience is enhanced by delivering connectivity inflight that is the same as the on the ground experience, from streaming your favorite video content to live television and accessing other internet-based applications during all phases of flight. We look forward to being a part of Southwest's commitment to continually upping the bar."

Capacity Today and In the Future

According to a January 2022 Sandvine Global Internet Phenomena Report, more than two-thirds of today's internet traffic is driven by data-hungry video streaming or social media platforms. Viasat utilizes its current broadband satellite fleet, including ViaSat-1 and Viasat-2, along with its roadmap of satellites - including the revolutionary ViaSat-3 constellation - to meet the ever-increasing demand for data-rich connectivity.