How to Manage In-Flight Connectivity

If there is one remaining bright-spot to airline travel I would have to say it is Wi-Fi in the sky. It can be the best part of your next flight or a disaster - and that goes for both passengers and crew. One company, Endeavour Technology, is working to make the experience universally delightful for all involved, which may be the best news of all.

I know some folks travel happy. They are delighted to be traveling either headed home or to an exotic location. My gut feeling, though, is that these people are in the minority. Most of us are trudging through the airport head down, guarded, and resigned to the prospect of getting into an elongated metal tube in uncomfortable proximity to fellow human beings.

But once you get to your cramped seat and access the Wi-Fi before your flight even takes off your whole demeanor and outlook can change. This happened to me recently on a flight home from Orlando.

Lately, I've adopted a strategy of signing on to the in-flight Wi-Fi as soon as I am seated. I guess it's my way of determining whether I'll be able to get any work done or communicate with loved ones while in flight.

On this particular flight I was greeted by Starlink's "fast, free, Wi-Fi" message as I signed on. It was a first for me. I was actually so excited I wanted to tell my seatmates - I was in a middle seat in coach. My better judgment prevailed and I opted not to disturb the gentleman on my left and the woman on my right.

What I was able to do, before taking off, was email a photo request to an industry executive; send a blog post for review to that same executive; make two rounds of corrections; and post the blog with a revised photo before the plane even left the ground. It was indeed fast and free Wi-Fi.

In today's world of multi-orbit satellite connectivity, Wi-Fi while flying can be a fraught experience. We're all familiar with the flight attendant announcements that the Wi-Fi is or is not working. Historically, this experience has always appeared to be a crapshoot. Maybe the Wi-Fi is working or will be working or maybe not. Nobody knows and, more importantly, nobody knows why.

This reality is wholly unsatisfactory and contradicts the reality that is unfolding on more and more planes equipped with connectivity. We are maybe only months away from being able to book a flight on a plane with fully disclosed information regarding the available Wi-Fi provider.

The flying public may, in fact, flock to flights using planes equipped with Starlink connectivity. But it won't be long before competing solutions from Amazon Leo, OneWeb, and others are competitive and widely available. Or maybe multi-orbit providers like Hughes, SES, and Viasat will prevail.

It's clear, though, that consumers will be seeking enhanced connectivity experiences. In fact, Endeavour Technology describes this new frontier of in-flight connectivity as being defined by what the company calls Experience Level Agreements (ELA) instead of the familiar Service Level Agreement.

To deliver that experience, Endeavour Technology is working with partners such as Panasonic Avionics to deliver a layered diagnostic experience that empowers airlines and their cabin crews to properly manage connectivity. Those layers include:

• Head Unit - A software agent installed on the IFC head unit to comprehensively analyze in-flight IFC performance and the passenger experience

• Crew App - A lightweight software agent installed on connected crew devices to measure passenger experience KPIs

• FlyTest App - A powerful app for staff to measure in-flight connectivity KPIs and passenger experience

• Crowd Source - A background SDK that measures the passenger experience from the airline app

• SIM - A SIM-installed app perfect for monitoring A2G (Air to Ground) QoS scenarios

The Endeavour Technology solution (nSpire) provides real-time analytics of network performance and usage enabling in-flight or post-flight diagnostics of failures while also enabling connectivity management during take-off and landing and when traversing countries or territories where satellite access is not licensed. The network performance metrics are extraordinary and provide valuable insight for airlines seeking to better manage in-flight connections.

SOURCE: Example of downlink throughput vs. latency analysis from an LAS-DAL flight.

Endeavour Technology's solution, called nSpire, enables:

• Identification and management of data availability use cases

• Latency use case analytics

• Service degradation or outages

• Insights regarding competing services and orbits

• Route planning insights

• Metrics capture every half second

An airplane equipped with Endeavour Technology creates an environment where crew members have instant access to network performance and availability metrics removing any confusion or ambiguity. At a time when airlines are increasingly leveraging in-flight Wi-Fi as a customer retention and customer satisfaction priority, Endeavour Technology is delivering a solution (an MSUA Innovation Award Winner in 2025) that enables clever management of in-flight connectivity and empowers employees. I may become a happy flyer after all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roger Lanctot is president of the Mobile Satellite Users Association and CEO and Founder of StrategiaNow Consulting. Roger draws on 30+ years’ experience in the technology industry as an analyst, journalist and consultant. Roger is a graduate of Dartmouth College. His 190,000 followers on LinkedIn reflects the influence of his insights and perspectives on automotive and transportation technology, policy, and strategy.