Alaska Airlines opts for Intelsat to provide inflight connectivity

Alaska Airlines has opted for Intelsat to provide inflight connectivity (IFC) on 105 of its fleet of new Boeing 737 MAXs. The aircraft will be delivered fitted with Intelsat’s 2Ku inflight connectivity and streaming entertainment system, which is already flying with more than 150 aircraft in Alaska’s fleet. Intelsat-equipped aircraft deliveries have already commenced, and will continue through 2024 across Alaska Airlines’ new 737-9s.

The two companies have partnered in IFEC (inflight entertainment and connectivity) since 2010 across the airline’s fleet of Embraer 175, Boeing 737NG and Airbus A320 family aircraft. Together they also launched the first-ever free-to-use inflight messaging service in 2017, and Intelsat continues to support Alaska’s “most movies in the sky” offering, with over 700 movies and TV shows available for passengers to stream to their own devices in the cabin, free of charge.

Dave Bijur, senior vice president of commercial at Intelsat’s commercial aviation division is confident that Alaska’s passengers will enjoy a reliable experience: “Our continuous launch of satellites over the next several years, starting with Intelsat 40e next year, puts us in a position to deliver reliability, redundancy and speed – all of which maximise guest satisfaction.”