As Azul prepares to take delivery of further Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, they will be line-fitted (at the factory) with Viasat connectivity.
The seven Azul Airbus A330-900neo aircraft will be fitted with Viasat’s Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution, with the first aircraft scheduled to enter service next year.
Once installed and active, Azul passengers travelling on the new, line-fit Airbus A330-900neos will be able to enjoy onboard internet from gate to gate. Passengers will be able to acquire packages for streaming audio and video, web browsing, and messaging.
For those who prefer to watch adverts to gain access to the internet in flight, Azul is working with Viasat to offer ad-supported streaming sessions using the Viasat Advertising platform. Azul is the latest airline to adopt the Viasat Advertising platform.
In Quotes
Jason Ward, Azul’s Chief People and Customer Officer said:
“Part of what differentiates Azul in the Brazilian market is the best-in-class connectivity experience we offer on select aircraft,”
“From Brazilians’ thirst for real time sports scores to their desire to stay connected to loved ones on the ground while flying, our hypothesis that this feature would be critical to customer satisfaction is playing out in the market. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Viasat as we continue to build on our current in-flight Wi-Fi experience in the future.”
Don Buchman, VP and GM of Commercial Aviation at Viasat added
“After several successful years of serving Azul passengers in Brazil, we are excited to work with Azul to expand our connectivity onboard even more aircraft,” said.
“It remains Viasat’s mission to continue delivering high quality and consistent in-flight Wi-Fi, so that passengers can enjoy online activities while in the air as they do on the ground, even as the demand for data grows and passenger expectations accelerate rapidly.”
Building on a partnership
Azul was the first South American airline to select Viasat’s in-flight internet service and the first airline to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi service to passengers in South America, utilising the capacity on Viasat’s Ka-band network, including its partner satellite, SGDC-1 (Geostationary Satellite for Defense and Strategic Communications), owned by Telebras.
It’s also interesting to see further use of the Viasat Advertising Platform. At Economy Class and Beyond, we’ve seen this in action in the air.
In the case of the airline, it was a matter of connecting to the portal and browsing to the free sessions offering:
Then clicking the link for connectivity. During this time, an advert is served.
Once complete, the
Once complete, the passenger can access connectivity – in this case, for 20 minutes.
It’s a powerful lead-in for airlines looking to upsell connectivity on a flight. It’s also providing urgent connectivity for those who wish to loved ones know they are safely in the air or are going to be running late on arrivals.
As airlines continue to evolve how they wish to offer connectivity, sponsored sessions could well be a way forward.
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