Originally Posted by
tdracer
The operator needs to sign up for the service - the hardware is baseline on the aircraft, but not the download service. Boeing (and GE/CFM) will store the data, but only if it gets sent -and that costs money. And the more data is sent out, the more it costs - shortly after the EIS of the 747-8, we started getting complains that we were sending out too much engine health data and it was costing too much for the data transmission services. So when we revised the EHM software we reduced the baseline reports.
Many operators only do downloads when they are at a suitably equipped (e.g. wifi) airport.
It's simply a matter of what Lion Air has signed up for (which I can't speak to - I honestly have no idea).
If I were to try to guess which carrier(s) would have contracted for the capability of sending a ton of data via expensive satcom links in real time, when they could download it (presumably for free) at the end of every flight, or at some more convenient interval, then Asian LCCs wouldn't be top of my list.