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Without power ports, is in-flight Wi-Fi doomed?

January 28, 2010

The wireless signal from the Gogo Inflight Internet service is coming in loud and clear, but I’m not buying it. Not this time. My MacBook Pro has a pathetic two hours of battery life at best, and the flight from Orlando to Salt Lake City takes twice as long.

It’s just not worth it.

This isn’t the first time I’ve considered the obstacles of in-flight Wi-Fi, and it probably won’t be the last. But after some thought, I’m not sure this one hurdle can be overcome without a radical new approach (well, it’s possible the new Apple iPad, with its promised 10+ hours of battery life, is a good start, but we’ll see).


What were they thinking when airlines began installing wireless hotspots on planes? Did they really believe our batteries would last as long as their flights?

Although I’m not an expert on in-flight entertainment systems – that’s the general category that in-flight wireless tends to fall under – I know enough about technology, as both an end-user and a reporter, to know that these onboard Internet systems aren’t cheap. It reportedly costs about $200,000 per plane to make an aircraft wireless-enabled. I also know airlines and their technology partners are counting on a return on investment, and soon.

Who is the target audience for airborne wireless? It might be big-spending business travelers who travel with an extra battery. But they weren’t thinking of me, that’s for sure.

So here’s the radical idea: Install power ports. In every seat.

I would gladly pay my airline to use a plug during a flight. My kids would be thrilled to watch their DVD player the entire flight instead of having to quit the movie halfway through the trip. Heck, even the average cellphone user might spring for a socket if they could recharge their batteries in-flight, and land with the needle on “full.”

The good airlines — the really good ones — would give the power away because passengers need it. Just like the good airports now offer plugs for power-starved gadget users.

But the rest might make a tidy profit from their plugs, if they could figure out a way of monetizing them. In fact, I bet there are more passengers willing to pay for plugs than for wireless Internet.

Can an entire plane be outfitted with power ports? SeatGuru has a helpful guide for passengers looking for sockets, but I have yet to find a whole aircraft that’s wired.

Maybe power ports will be the next big thing on planes. What do you think?

(Photo: Jake Mates/Flickr Creative Commons)

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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38 comments

  • John

    Virgin America has power ports at every seat, it’s great. There are two ports for every row of 3 seats and they even have usb and ethernet jacks as well along side the power port (although the broadband internet isn’t available yet, just wi-fi, but it’s supposedly coming in the future)

  • http://www.travelite.org Lani Teshima

    You should consider using a netbook. I love my little Acer Aspire One. I got the one with longer battery life, and I can basically play with it all night and charge it right before I go to sleep. You can still watch movies, etc. and do almost everything your main computer can do.

  • Aimee

    I’m with you, Chris. I would gladly trade off wi-fi for plug ins, although both would be great. I can manage without the internet for the entire flight, but without electricity is harder, especially when it’s a long flight that is delayed an extra 2 hours on the tarmac.
    Plus, if I knew there was guaranteed power access, I would pack a portable DVD player and hand it to the little monster that always kicks the back of my seat. Two hours of kick free flying would be worth whatever it would cost me.

  • Toni

    Y’all…..BRING A BOOK!

  • Colette

    I’ve been on Air Canada flights where there are power outlets in every seat. I’ve never used them, but they’re there. (No wi-fi, though.)

  • http://www.jetcharters.com/ Todd

    Power ports in seats are a good idea even WITHOUT WIFI. But it’s not just for laptops. Smartphones are now coming equipped with WIFI, and since you’re not allowed to use 3G (or other data networks) in flight, wifi makes sense for anyone looking to stay connected.

  • Char James-Tanny

    I won’t pay for wireless for the very reason you mention…my battery doesn’t last anywhere near long enough. (My typical flights are cross-country.)

    But I’d happily pay for a plug…well, depending on the price ;-)

  • Cynthia

    Sounds like your MacBook Pro needs a new battery . . . mine lasts 3 now and in the beginning after I replaced it lasted 4 hours. You might look into that.

  • http://www.scrapbookupdate.com Nancy Nally

    Both the Jacksonville and LAX airports that I used this past week had charging ports, and Atlanta has outlets in posts in some seating areas. I work hard to make sure my battery stays charged when I am on the ground so that I won’t run out in-flight, but even fully charged my battery will only last about 4 hours. If I flew regularly on long flights, I would definitely buy a second battery for my MacBook.

  • Donald Belcham

    Fly the right airline and power port availability isn’t an issue. AC for example has power (and USB…and AVOD) in every row, economy or business, on anything bigger than a CRJ.

  • Mort B

    Cynthia is probably right. These batteries do tend to lose their “staying power” as they get older. If you fly regularly, as I think Chris must, it would perhaps be a good investment to replace the Macbook battery.

  • y_p_w

    Perhaps an external laptop battery? There are several on the market including at least one that says it’s compatible with a MacBook plug (cable is extra though). If your internal battery is at 100% it should be fairly efficient. If it needs to charge up the internal battery, there’s going to be some energy loss.

    I would include a link but I’m thinking that might be considered spam. Just look up “external macbook battery”. I saw one for $300 plus $50 for the (proprietary) cable. I know it’s pricey, but it makes sense for someone who might need to get some work done on a plane without power ports.

  • Steve

    Did you seriously take a picture of a wall socket?

  • Lucille

    @Toni : I’m with you on this one… However, we’re turning into a mindless society that needs constant stimulation to keep our attention. The more bells and whistles, the better.

    What happened to taking a nap, reading a book, doing the crossword puzzle or knitting?

  • Anthony LaMesa

    Allllll aborad, Amtrak! Allllll aboard, America! Want power during your trip? Take the train. Enjoy–on all Northeast Regional and Acela trains–two power outlets for every pair of seats. No, I don’t work for Amtrak. I am just baffled as to why presumably masochistic individuals continue to support airlines that don’t support their passengers. I know that the train is not an option–at the moment–for speedy long-distance travel, but if you’re traveling from Washington to NY you have no excuse for flying instead of taking the train.

  • Sebastian

    Korean Airlines flights (at least the ones I have taken from New York – Seoul) are equipped with both wifi and power in every seat (including economy).

  • Thomas

    Fly business class!

  • Jose

    @Anthony – Agree, we need to invest in a better rail system in the US. I lived in Spain for a couple of years and I rode the train everywhere. I would rather take the train than an airplane, but it is just not feasable here.

    As for power onboard aircraft. C’mon seriously. This will become just another thing the airline will use to get some more money out of the traveling public. Would you like a drink? That will be two dollars. Would you like a snack? That will be seven dollars. I am just waiting for them to install coin slots on the toilets. Don’t laugh its coming. I used to travel all the time, for pleasure of course, but not anymore. Are you listening airlines, you are losing people left and right with all the nickel and diming you are doing. With all the money I saved, due to my lack of pleasure travel. We ended up buying a nice SUV and used that solely for trips and to be honest, it was the best thing we have ever done. We now have more together time. Instead of the stress of going to an airport. OK, sorry will get off my soapbox now.

  • Dave

    American has powerports in about every 3rd row in coach (and every seat in higher class) on larger/newer aircraft. If you check seatguru.com you can find out which ones. If you book a trip early you can most always get one of those seats – I usually do. I travel with a power brick that accepts a 110 v. or cigarette lighter cord, sold by Dell. WiFi would be nice but I wouldn’t pay much for it. And nobody ever told me to turn my book off because we were getting ready to land.

  • Brian Walters

    Another thing about the Kindle, from recent experiences. I’ve left it in my carryon through TSA screening. No questions asked. The minute I take it out and put it in the bin with my cellphone, keys, etc…it becomes a “laptop” and has to be placed in a separate bin.

    Just a heads up for anyone with a Kindle.

  • http://cars.about.com Aaron

    My netbook has enough battery capacity to go cross country on a single charge, and if there’s a layover, I can pick up an extra hour or two’s worth of juice. I fly American, and the MD80s with WiFi have power ports at most seats.

    I used Gogo during the free trial period and was impressed. But I have yet to pay for it. If I’m coming home on a late flight, I have a story or a blog entry to post, and the in-flight wireless means I won’t have to stay up an extra hour and a half when I get home, then yes, it’s worth $10-$15. Problem is, it’s not on all planes, and I don’t know ’till I get to the airport if my plane is WiFi equipped, so I can’t rely on it being there — and I usually have a Plan A already in place. So most of the time I just read or watch movies on the ol’ Eee PC.

  • http://coachclassblog.com Jeanne Leblanc

    Forget the iPad. I’m with Lani — bring a netbook. Not only does my Acer get more than five hours of battery life with the six-cell battery, it can actually open on the tray table even when the person in front of me has reclined the seat.

    As for Amtrak, sure, there are power ports. But I haven’t seen any Wi-Fi, so unless you have an air card you’re up a creek.

  • Allan

    Nice picture. Someone was too lazy to tape the wall sockets when they were painting their office.

  • Michael Karpiel

    I tried Gogo Inflight several times with the free promotions last year on Delta and it worked great. I used them again recently on Delta when travelling from West Palm (via Atlanta) to Phoenix in January. I have an extended charge battery for my personal laptop but I also carry the original one so I can switch batteries during the long hauls. I’ve also used my company laptop and connected via VPN in flight. Just so you know, Gogo lets you connect different devices just only 1 at a time unlike many hotels that charge and track your device based on the MAC address. I’ve also linked my iPhone in flight as well.

    So I have to somewhat agree that the need for power is there but the real “road warrior” usually comes prepared. Also SeatGuru doesn’t always have the power plugs correct as I’ve selected specific seats “with power” only to find out there is no plug in coach.

  • Kevin M

    I have to say, I do get a kick out of reading some of the comments on a post like this. “You’re flying the wrong airline! You should be on Air Canada/Korean/Virgin America!” – except that all two of the three offer essentially NO domestic service in the U.S., and the third only flies to a handful of cities. “AA has them every third row on its big planes!” – except that means if you’re not on a transcontinental nonstop, you probably aren’t even ON one of their big planes any more, and even then you’d have a 1/3 shot at being in a power-enabled row.

    Amtrak likewise only has power on certain trains, primarily in the northeast, so that’s a completely useless suggestion for Chris’s specific example (did anyone notice he said he was flying from Orlando to Salt Lake City? Yeah, that’s a good option for Amtrak).

    “Buy a Netbook/Kindle/whatever” – that’s beside the point. Yes, there are things that will last longer than his chosen hardware; the point is, simply – if the airlines are going to offer wi-fi on almost all planes (and that seems to be the way they’re going), they’re making a huge mistake by not offering power ports, even if they have to charge for them (and it’s a new, extra service, so I don’t necessarily have a problem with that). Otherwise, they’re going to find that very few people will be using the Wi-Fi, which means in turn that they won’t make enough money to pay for it. And in fact, as he points out with cell phone chargers, etc., airlines could make money off the power ports even for people who AREN’T using the Wi-Fi. It’s a no-brainer solution.

    And incidentally, many people prefer to paint over power outlets (carefully), as was clearly done here – you notice there are sharp edges to the holes where the prongs go, meaning they were covered when the plug was painted. It’s a way to make the outlet less conspicuous, particularly on a wall of a very different color.

  • http://www.ffocus.org Bruce InCharlotte

    I just flew LHR-IAH on one of Continental’s 767-400′s. It’s nearly a ten hour flight and there is no laptop that will last that long. Even my iPhone in airplane mode and low brightness barely made the journey, playing music most of the time. Silly me, I thought they had power at every seat. They do, if you have an EmPower adapter, which I did not have. *sad face*. Their 777′s do have power at every seat. Tip: pda.continental.com tells you all about the amenities on board, including power options. I forgot to to that.

  • Ames

    @Kevin M
    I was reading your post and in agreement with you that many of the comments and suggestions while useful were not pertinent to the initial problem. I was also in agreement that adding Wi-Fi without power plugs was really an error imagination and forethought – Wi-Fi is useless without enough power so this is like selling salty nuts without offering any beverages. I bet more people would consider paying more money for the power outlet than the Wi-Fi. But when you get to painting the wall outlet to make it match the room – man, I have to speak up! If someone really cared so much about that outlet that they made sure the prong holes stayed clear and sharp, then why did they tolerate the runs and bubbles? I do not see similar texture around the outlet so it is not there to match the surrounding surface. For your information there are outlets available in many colors, there are concealing devices, or there ways to subtly locate outlets to make them less obvious. Or there is the acceptance of form follows function and simply exposing them. This photograph appears to me to follow none of these, and is just a messy paint job. I do like the photo for its iconic statement.
    Ames AIA, LEED AP

  • Mike Burrows

    I use AirTran often, partly because all of their flights offer GoGo service so I can count on availabilty. I find the service to be a good value and use it regularly. By using a notebook that is designed for power conservation I can get four or five hours from both of the batteries I carry. If I tweak the computer for max power conservation I could stretch that by another hour or two for each battery. This is easier than carrying the special chargers older aircraft power outlets required.

    I also use Amtrak regularly. Given the longer travel time Amtrak’s on-board conventional 120v outlets can be useful to keep batteries charged. While Amtrak does not offer WiFi the ability to use your air card obviates the need for it. On the Washington to New York to Boston route WiFi cellular data coverage (air card) is nearly continuous. When I travel from Washington to the Carolinas cellular data coverage is available as you near and pass each town.

  • Barry Graham

    Every AA plane I’ve been on that has wifi also has power ports.

  • http://voiceontheweb.biz Jim Courtney

    Chris,

    As mentioned by others Air Canada has power outlets at or near every seat on all flights and are now running GoGoInFlight trials on their Toronto – LAX flights. (Only works while the flight is in U.S. airspace – but that’s for 90% of the trip.) They will be adding it to flights to/from other U.S. destinations this spring and summer.

    When on their longer flights (I have done six transAtlantic in the past seven months) I use my FreeTalk Everyman headset (via the 3.5 mm speaker jack that can be removed from the USB dongle) plugged into my iPhone sitting in my shirt pocket. I then let the unused USB dongle hang out of my shirt pocket, leaving other passengers to wonder if I have finally found a use for the USB port in the back of every seat beside the flight entertainment system screen when walking back to the washrooms. NOT! (On some flights I do have to recharge the iPhone while in flight to make it work the full eight hours but it’s also great to have power available for my laptop during the full fight when I am only getting about an hour out of a 3+-yr old battery.)

  • http://www.associatedaircharter.com Najdat Hmedany

    It’s just not worth it.

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  • Bill

    It is pretty interesting to see these post so many months afterward.
    Actually there are laptops that last over 10 hours. My Dell LT4300 with the “battery slice” lasts about 11..and with the wi fi on. It is a year and a half old.

    I have an “empower” type adaptor but have never had to use it. Air Canada has the plug ins on the longer flights.

    If you’re a frequent traveller and want to have the wi fi work your whole flight, there are ways, such as having a laptop like mine, or an external battery.

    What would be really nice is if all of the airports had free wi fi. Then, one could get their work done in the airport instead of wasting time in the waiting areas.

  • Jaime

    I would far rather have the power port than wifi – I can live without internet access for half a day, but it’s nice to be able to power up and watch a movie or do some work without having to tote an extra battery. I once took Amtrak from Philadelphia to DC due to flight delays that made it more convenient than waiting for my connection, and I was delighted to be able to plug in my netbook for the ~2.5 hour trip. Anything less than five hours really isn’t a big deal, but it would be a joy on cross-country and transatlantic flights to have plugs available in cattle class, and I’d gladly pay up to ten bucks for its use.

    I also wish airport terminals had more plugs available – I ended up sitting in the hallway outside my gate in Charlotte because there were only two plugs that I could find, and both were in use.

  • http://theendlessterrain.blogspot.com/ Harrison

    Love the power port photo in the beginning of the article. Definitely personifies and sets the tone haha. Agree that more US airlines should include powerports on the seats. Personal TVs and powerports will keep passengers happy and occupied .. and less to complain.

  • http://www.amanita.net/ Meredith

    Last month I flew AA from DCA to LAX via DFW. I would have loved to take advantage of their wifi, and I would have paid for it. Unfortunately, although our aircraft did have power outlets in coach, they stopped around row 20. I was in row 28. No power = no wifi, and they lost my business.

    As for the device debate, my primary computer is an LG netbook. It started out great, I would get 3.5-4 hours on a charge, but it’s six months after purchase and I’m only getting 45-60 minutes per charge. Yes, I should replace the battery, but most of the time I have it plugged in anyway. I’d like that option on airplanes too.

    As for the Kindle, I have never taken it out of my bag for security checkpoints, but I love the varied reactions from crew. “Turn it off” usually gets me to stick it in my seatback pocket, but sometimes I feel like pointing out that it CAN’T turn off – it only hibernates. That usually throws them for a loop. A device that doesn’t turn off? It can’t be so! (I dutifully put it away after making my point – I’m not interested in making a FA’s life harder.)

  • CaptJack

    @Merideth – The Kindle does turn off [took me a while to figure it out]. You just have to hold the power switch for 5-10 seconds rather than just pushing it over temporarily to hibernate it.

    For the many others offering up different devices that do survive the cross country (and almost make it for trans-pacific) flights, I think the comments are appreciated, but not really applicable. Many of us cannot use underpowered netbooks and tablets for what we do. Others have mandated company-provided laptops. Few of us in that situation are looking to carry yet another device.

    As a frequent traveler, I actually find myself regularly looking for ways to carry less with me. So I find myself agreeing vigorously with the original point – there are not enough standard power plugs on domestic US airplanes (and on some international flights too).

    I would pay for power too – although how often would depend on the price. At $10+, only in an emergency. At $5-$10 infrequently. $2-$5 probably about half the time. <$2 almost all the time.

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