Southwest Airlines Gate-to-Gate WiFi

Southwest Airlines announced today that passengers can access in-flight Wi-Fi during all phases of flight. The carrier is also the last major U.S. carrier to confirm today that flyers can use their mobile devices during takeoff and landing.

The news means that business travelers can start answering emails, uninterrupted, from the moment they sit down. Bulky laptops and devices larger than a tablet must still be stowed during taxi, takeoff, and landing. And mobile devices must be kept in “airplane mode” throughout the flight.

Southwest can permit Wi-Fi use below 10,000 feet thanks to service provider Row44, which uses satellite-based Wi-Fi that is capable of working on the ground.

In-flight Wi-Fi on the majority of U.S. airlines, including American, United, and Delta, is powered by Gogo and currently engineered to start working at 10,000 feet.