Southwest Airlines files motion to dismiss Gogo’s lawsuit

Southwest Airlines has filed a motion in court to dismiss inflight connectivity provider Gogo’s lawsuit against the carrier.

In early March, Gogo filed for a preliminary injunction in Illinois to stop the US low-cost giant from “de-installing our equipment in violation of the inflight Internet connectivity agreement we entered into with AirTran”.

Southwest acquired AirTran last year. The carrier, which is in the midst of equipping its fleet with Row 44’s satellite-supported connectivity solution, recently began retrofitting AirTran Boeing 737s with Row 44, as well as its new Evolve interior. It is looking to lease the AirTran 717 fleet to Delta Air Lines.

“As AirTran aircraft are transferring to Southwest, Southwest will be removing the Gogo equipment from the AirTran fleet and installing Row 44 equipment. We have actually filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and the case is still pending,” Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger tells the APEX editor’s blog.

Itasca, Illinois-based Gogo could not provide immediate comment. It has been honouring a quiet period surrounding its IPO. A launch date for the shares sales has not yet been yet. However, the company’s IPO filing with the SEC says Gogo holds a long-term, revenue-share agreement with AirTran, as well as agreements with Delta, American Airlines, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines, US Airways and Frontier Airlines. The earliest agreement expires in 2018.