Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Satellite communications provider Viasat has enhanced its JetXP business aviation airborne connectivity product line to make it easier for customers to choose the right service level. The simplified service plans—effective Jan. 1, 2027—include suggested retail pricing for the first time.
Part of the impetus for the revamped plans is Viasat’s addition of two satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO)—ViaSat-3 F2 over the Americas and F3 over Asia-Pacific—that joined F1 to complete the ViaSat-3 constellation and tripled the available bandwidth.
“That brings a tremendous amount of capability and capacity to our ecosystem,” said Claudio D’Amico, Viasat’s v-p for OEMs, partners, and business aviation fleets. “With those satellites, we have a lot more flexibility in terms of how we iterate and design solutions for our customers.”
Customer feedback indicated a preference for harmonized service plans, he explained. “The primary feedback was [that] satellite communications is a very complex technology, but the way you buy it doesn’t have to be. It’s having the additional capability of the ViaSat-3 satellites, and the flexibility those satellites bring…and a goal to try to make things simpler on how we deliver the service to the customer.”
Each ViaSat-3 satellite was designed for 1 terabit per second of capacity and has dynamic beamforming capability. “We can form a beam to a specific aircraft and follow that aircraft throughout the footprint of the satellite,” he said. “This enables a consistent experience in areas where you have a lot of demand.”
Improved performance centers on North America, the area of highest demand, but the ViaSat-3 satellites also cover the rest of the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, and Asia. ViaSat-3 does not yet cover Western Europe and Africa, where JetXP runs on Viasat’s GX network.
In the revamped portfolio, Viasat is offering three global service tiers, from light to medium to unlimited, available for Honeywell JetWave and JetWave X systems and Gogo’s Plane Simple Ka satcom.
Viasat has published manufacturer suggested retail prices for all plans using JetWave X and Plane Simple Ka terminals, starting at less than $11,000 per month for unlimited global service, with fixed pricing for the term of the service agreement, either one or three years.
“All of these plans have priority in terms of network,” D’Amico said, “as well as uncapped speeds, which we’ve done for some of the other plans that we’ve had in the past.”
Viasat isn’t offering regional coverage plans because these wouldn’t meet customers’ needs for simplicity. “That’s our message: simplify the pricing, simplify the experience, and predictable budgets,” said Adam Sheppard, Honeywell’s general manager for services and connectivity. “It’s meant to be simple for the end customer. The price points that Honeywell and Viasat have created are extremely compelling for a global service, so there wasn’t a need to complicate it more with regional-based pricing.”
While low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satcom is gaining popularity, GEO satcom remains a significant part of the market. This is evident in the number of customers opting for dual-orbit satcom, installing both a LEO and a GEO system on the same airplane. This can prevent coverage outages if one system has a problem and also helps in regions where LEO satcom is prohibited but GEO is allowed, such as China, or where LEO is being jammed.
“Honeywell’s original projection for customers in the business aviation market for taking two systems was around 10% to 15%,” Sheppard said. “We’re seeing that number closer to 40% to 50%, and it’s significantly higher than we anticipated.”&nbsp;
JetWave X also has built-in redundancy because it runs on both the ViaSat-3 network and the former Inmarsat GX network, which Viasat now owns. “We’re a single system that has redundancy built into it, which is great for customers,” he said. JetWave X’s software also lets it work alongside competing satcom systems, according to Sheppard. “We will make sure that you have a connection the entire time, no matter what network you’re on.”
Another JetWave X feature is Honeywell's advanced data control (ADC), which “combines multiple satellite and air-to-ground links at different orbital altitudes,” according to the company, including GEO, MEO, high elliptical orbit, and LEO “into one optimized onboard network.” Using ADC, customers will see traffic prioritized by application “through intelligent network switching and [tailoring] bandwidth for different user groups like VIPs, crew, and guests.” If there are outages or coverage gaps, ADC reacts in real-time to deliver the optimal connection.
D’Amico is urging customers to upgrade to the latest software version to take advantage of the added capacity over North America. “It’s a significant amount of capacity that we’re bringing to that customer base,” he said.&nbsp;

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

Viasat Paves Path for Simpler Satellite Communications Service Plans

Published manufacturers suggested retail prices will make it easier to compare

In the new portfolio, Viasat is offering three global service tiers, from light to medium to unlimited satellite connectivity. 

Viasat Paves Path for Simpler Satcom Service Plans

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Aircraft Lighting International showcases color-changing cabin LEDs at NBAA-BACE

Light Switch: LED Tubes Plug into Fluorescent Fixtures

Service speeds expected to improve significantly with minimal hardware changes

Gogo Roadmap Charts Galileo’s Bizav Speed Gains

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Delaware lab rents space and equipment to industry partners

Aloft Opens Innovation Lab for Aircraft Systems Testing

System will be available for free factory installation in 2028

Gogo HDX Available in Longitude and Latitude 

Design teams hired and promoted staff in Nebraska, Michigan, and Utah

Duncan Aviation Refurbishes Its Design Teams

Fractional operator’s PC-12s and PC-24s will be satcom-equipped by end of 2027

PlaneSense Picks Gogo Galileo for Entire Pilatus Fleet

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

NBAA-BACE 2026

In this article

Viasat

More In Cabin Interior and Electronics

Light Switch: LED Tubes Plug into Fluorescent Fixtures

Aircraft Lighting International showcases color-changing cabin LEDs at NBAA-BACE

Gogo Roadmap Charts Galileo’s Bizav Speed Gains

Service speeds expected to improve significantly with minimal hardware changes

Aloft Opens Innovation Lab for Aircraft Systems Testing

Delaware lab rents space and equipment to industry partners

Gogo HDX Available in Longitude and Latitude

System will be available for free factory installation in 2028

Duncan Aviation Refurbishes Its Design Teams

Design teams hired and promoted staff in Nebraska, Michigan, and Utah

PlaneSense Picks Gogo Galileo for Entire Pilatus Fleet

Fractional operator’s PC-12s and PC-24s will be satcom-equipped by end of 2027

Liebherr Displays Bizjet Component Innovations

Company seeks to reduce size and weight of key components

Duncan Aviation Orders 40 Galileo HDX Satcom Systems

Pre-stocking inventory makes it easier to satisfy customer requirements

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN