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Southwest Airlines Offering In-Flight iMessaging for $2 Per Day

Wednesday December 11, 2013 10:14 am PST by Jordan Golson
Southwest Airlines is offering passengers the ability to send and receive iMessages from their iOS devices in-flight for $2 per day. In-flight Wi-Fi access for all applications is available for $8 per device per day.

It's likely that the airline is opening up iMessage related ports to users who pay the $2, while users who pay more receive access to in-flight email, social networks and the like. For a limited time, all users receive access to 13 live television channels on laptops and iOS devices for free.

Imessagesouthwest
Beginning today, Southwest is enabling iMessage for $2 a day!

Any Apple user that has iOS 5 or later with the iMessage feature pre-loaded on their device can take advantage of this option. Now you can stay powered up and connected to friends and family like you never left the ground.
In-flight Wi-Fi is not yet available on all Southwest flights, but the airline has a Wi-Fi finder on its website so flyers can check if their aircraft will support the service.

Southwest Airlines flies within the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Thanks to MacRumors Forum member Lumpydog for the screenshot!

[ 90 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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iEnvy
67 months ago
What a joke.
Rating: 25 Votes
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Scott90
67 months ago
The idea here is that if you only want WiFi for iMessage, you only have to pay $2. If you pay more, you get full-fletched access, including iMessage.
Rating: 20 Votes
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Lumpydog
67 months ago
From my Southwest flight right now

Yep. Am on a Southwest flight now. See pic
Rating: 16 Votes
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kyacker
67 months ago

What a joke.


I think the joke is how much information was missed or misleading in this article. I fly SWA weekly. Essentially they're giving you a way to pay $2 rather than the normal $8 to just get iMessages rather than paying full boat for wifi if you don't need it. Seems pretty fair to me if that's all you're looking for. Gogo inflight on the other airlines doesn't offer the same option. (monthly subscriber)

Also, you don't have to pay for wifi to get the television channels on your devices for free. Dish Network has been sponsoring the television channels for the last 3-5 months at no charge.

I'll look around to see the real number but it's my understanding that only a few of the 737-300 jets are the only that remain that don't have wifi. I haven't had a wifi-less flight on SWA in about 8 months. The article makes it sound like there aren't many with wifi.

Last, a-list preferred members get wifi for free. It's a great perk for frequent fliers and not offered by the other airlines...
Rating: 12 Votes
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shardey
67 months ago
Wow, paying $2 to send kilobytes worth of data? I thought paying per text message was enough of a rip off.
Rating: 10 Votes
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DipDog3
67 months ago

connected to a wifi network does not mean you are connected to the internet.

you connect to the plane's wifi network before you pay so now there will be an option on the splash screen to pay $2 and the only traffic allowed will be iMessage traffic.


Figure out what ports they opened up for iMessage, then open a ssh tunnel on that port so you can surf the entire internet for only $2.
Rating: 6 Votes
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kyacker
67 months ago

Two dollars isn't terrible I guess. So how do they know you just didn't turn your phone on your own carriers network?


They don't but it also doesn't reach 7 miles off the face of the earth.
Rating: 5 Votes
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ToomeyND
67 months ago
The point is not paying $8 for internet if all you want to do is iMessage. This is a good thing, not a rip-off. It gives the smaller users a smaller package to purchase.

And you don't need to pay for internet to get the tv channels. Those are provided free from Dish Network.
Rating: 5 Votes
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alent1234
67 months ago
so cable companies are evil for bundling channels

and the airlines are evil for charging a la carte for services people want
Rating: 5 Votes
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nagromme
67 months ago
Please, everyone, do this instead of talking on your phone! I beg you.
Rating: 4 Votes

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