Southwest Airlines

[mydisneygirls]

After a few years of flying JetBlue, we are now switching back to Southwest because of JetBlue's new policy for charging for bags and the higher fares (so sad because I really liked JB).

Has anyone flown SW recently and could tell me what type of free TV (channels/shows) they have.

[Basket Mommy]

I watched some Food Network shows last time we flew Southwest. I'm pretty sure they have some HGTV too. I didn't choose live TV, just picked some random shows from the choices.

[KylesMom]

Nothing worth watching, IMO. Always end up putting my laptop away and just listening to music. No movies, just news/sports/reality tv programs that are less than interesting.

That being said, the only airlines I fly these days is Southwest due to their lenient flight change policies along with no charging for baggage.

[RBrooksC]

You need your own device to use the free Dish Network on SWA flights that are WiFi enabled.

TV is currently free of charge and is comprised of 19 live TV channels and on-demand episodes of your favorite shows. The current live TV channel line-up includes:

Animal Planet
Bravo
Cartoon Network
CBS
CNBC
Discovery
Food Network
FOX 5 New York (WNYW)
FOX Business Network
FOX News Channel
FOX Sports One
Golf Channel
HGTV
MLB.com (Major League Baseball)
MSNBC
NBC 4 New York (WNBC)
NFL Network
TLC
Travel Channel

[mydisneygirls]

We have ipads so those would work. Are the tv shows free also (and what shows are they)? Sorry for asking so much - just need something to pass the time as I'm not a fan of flying.

So disappointed that JetBlue has changed so much. Very unlikely we will fly them again soon.

[PopPhan]

We have ipads so those would work. Are the tv shows free also (and what shows are they)? Sorry for asking so much - just need something to pass the time as I'm not a fan of flying.

So disappointed that JetBlue has changed so much. Very unlikely we will fly them again soon.

Do you have a Hulu or Netflix or Vudu or UltraViolet or.....etc. account? Then you can watch whatever you want on your own account. That is what I plan to do on my flight out to DLR in December.

[Fangorn]

Do you have a Hulu or Netflix or Vudu or UltraViolet or.....etc. account? Then you can watch whatever you want on your own account. That is what I plan to do on my flight out to DLR in December.

You may want to have a back-up plan for this...

From the Southwest website: In order to provide a top-notch WiFi experience, we do block high bandwidth activity including but not limited to: telephony applications (VoIP), device/system/software updates and certain video streaming subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go.

Steve

[VWL Mom]

Here's the info from SW

WiFi and Inflight Entertainment

By accessing the SouthwestWiFi hotspot onboard, you can make time fly on your own personal electronic device!

Free live and on-demand television:

19 live channels and up to 75 television episodes from popular series
*Where available. Does not include NFL RedZone. Limited time.
View a list of compatible devices:
WiFi
All you need is a WiFi-enabled device (802.11a/b/g or n) with an Internet browser. Please note that cellular devices without a WiFi component will not work with this system, and their use is restricted to game or airplane mode per federal regulations.

TV and Movies
Laptops
Operating System: Windows 8; Windows 7; Windows XP; Windows Vista; OSX 10.6.X; OSX 10.7.X
Browser: Internet Explorer 7.X (or higher); Firefox 4.X (or higher); Google Chrome 18.X (or higher); Safari 5.x (or higher)
Plug-In: Adobe Flash Player 10.0.22 (or higher); ViewRight1
iOS Mobile and Tablets
Operating System: iOS 4.2 or later
Browser: Safari 5.x (or higher)
Plug-In: Onboard Player app available for free from Apple App Store
Android Mobile and Tablets
Operating System: Select devices supported at this time
Browser: Firefox 4.X (or higher)
Plug-In: Adobe Flash Player 10.0.22 (or higher); Onboard Player app available for free from Google Play Store
Due to licensing regulations, free live TV may not be available onboard WiFi-enabled international flights.

Internet access for $8 a day per device on WiFi-enabled aircraft:
E-mail, social networks, browsing and VPN access
In order to provide a top-notch WiFi experience, we limit access to certain high bandwidth applications and websites, including Netflix, HBO Go, and VoIP
Movies for $5, per movie, per device
More than 25 current and classic titles

[BrerGnat]

You definitely cannot watch streaming video. And, not all mobile devices have the appropriate player for this service. Neither of our Samsung tablets work. It's basically iPad and laptop computers only where it will work.

[Basket Mommy]

You definitely cannot watch streaming video. And, not all mobile devices have the appropriate player for this service. Neither of our Samsung tablets work. It's basically iPad and laptop computers only where it will work.

I have a Samsung tablet and I was able to use the free TV service in March on a flight from SC to Washington DC. My kids have Samsung phones and they were able to use it, too.

[BrerGnat]

I have a Samsung tablet and I was able to use the free TV service in March on a flight from SC to Washington DC. My kids have Samsung phones and they were able to use it, too.

Huh. Well ours are kinda old. Maybe that is why. Mine is a Nexus 7 from 2013 and the kids have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0. Regardless, all I got was an error message that we didn't have the correct video player installed.

It also wouldn't work on my husband's Surface tablet.

[mydisneygirls]

We have 2 ipads so I guess they'll be fine! Since there are 4 of us, I can get a gadget that will allow 2 people to use headphones -- I hope.

On the flip side - I can bring a nip of vodka with me and have a bloody mary (it's a morning flight). After one sip, I'll sleep the whole 3 hour flight!

[DizneyRox]

For Android devices, they recommend Dolphin browser and an old version of Flash (since it's not made for Android anymore). You should be able to install them on board (this is fairly new), but it helps to do it before hand under your own terms.

Google Flash on Android for more help.

It helps pass the time, but I bring my own stuff mostly these days.