Gogo Inflight Internet

Gogo provides in-​flight Internet access to passengers aboard several major airline carriers such as American, AirTran, Delta, United, and US Airways. Formerly called Aircell, my first recollection of using Gogo Inflight Internet was on a cross-​country Delta flight from Atlanta to San Francisco in 2010. Currently, Gogo seems to have the in-​flight Internet market monopolized, though it was recently reported AT&T may enter the market and compete.
I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Gogo. It’s easy to get connected and the speeds are fast enough for what I want to do: check email, chat, surf the web, upload (small amounts of) photos, and write Unilocal reviews such as this one. The speeds advertised are «broadband» speeds up to 3 megabits per second, comparable to «home Internet.» It’s far from it, but it’s not excruciatingly slow either.
I decided to do a couple
snapshot speed tests on a recent US Airways flight from Phoenix to Atlanta. Here were the results:
Speed test #1: 0.48 Mbps download, 0.27 Mbps upload
Speed test #2: 0.38 Mbps download, 0.28 Mbps upload
Those are ridiculously slow speeds. However, it didn’t feel that slow when I was online. It makes me wonder if
tests are valid for in-​flight Internet technology. I have no idea.
Video streaming (e.g. YouTube, Netflix) is questionable. I tried watching some YouTube videos and left the video setting on Auto. Because of the slow speed, YouTube automatically downscaled all videos to either 144p or 240p, the lowest resolutions available. Persistent lag and buffering was noticeable when videos were played at 320p. This experience was on my PHX to ATL flight, so results may vary. I haven’t tried any live streaming such as WatchESPN or Xfinity.
What gets me with Gogo is the pricing. It’s inconsistent. Gogo’s web site says pricing can vary based on flight, duration, etc. In one day, I was offered two different prices for an all-​day pass to Gogo. I was flying from San Francisco to Atlanta with a stop in Phoenix. Both flights were on US Airways.
I purchased my all-​day Gogo pass for $ 16.95 (no tax) mid-​flight from SFO to PHX. On my second flight of the day, PHX to ATL, I had to re-​login to Gogo to use the service again. Before logging in, I noticed the all-​day price was different. It was $ 19.95 instead of $ 16.95. I’m glad I purchased the all-​day pass on the earlier flight. To save the most money, order your Gogo pass ahead of time online at
. You can get the all-​day pass for $ 16.00 when purchasing from the «ground.»
Also interesting is on the first flight (SFO to PHX), I received an offer on my phone only for 30 free minutes on Gogo if I entered some personal information and answered some questions for Allstate. I did not receive this same offer on my laptop. This brings up an important thing to know…
You cannot purchase a Gogo Inflight Internet pass on your phone and use it on your laptop or tablet. You *can* purchase a pass on your laptop, tablet, or on the ground and switch between your laptop and tablet in the air. However, you can’t use more than one device at a time. If you ever need help, free live help via chat is available. No pass required.
As of right now, if Gogo is available on your flight, chances are it’s the only option. You have to succumb to their pricing. If you’re purchasing for a short amount of time or an all-​day pass, hopefully the pricing on your flight is reasonable. I suspect shorter flights have less expensive pricing — my experience above supports that theory. Long-​term memberships are available for those who travel often. In those instances, that may be the more economic and practical choice.
When flying across the country, I don’t mind paying $ 16 – 17 for all-​day personal access to the Internet (though $ 19.95 is pushing it). The added entertainment and productivity for those 5 – 8 hours in the air is worth it to me. It’s a no-​brainer for business travelers.
Note: Gogo doesn’t work during taxiiing, takeoff, and landing. The flight attendants turn it off.
One last thing: After logging into Gogo, there’s a link to Glympse (same as the driving navigation app). You can view a live updating map of your flight and also send it to your friends to let them know exactly where you are. The map provides interesting info such as how long you’ve been in the air, your speed, and what your expected arrival time is (just like the app). It’s neat!