How to Check Your E-mail In-Flight and Not Crash the Plane
Have you found yourself in a crunch to get that e-mail off, but
because you're stuck on an airplane for the next eight hours you
can't do a thing about it? Connexion by Boeing and Lufthansa Technik
have the answer.
Running at about 64 kbps and for approximately $30 per flight,
you can have internet access right in your seat. Another option
being considered is the use of frequent-flyer miles as payment.
For this service, you don't need any special software or hardware,
only your basic internet browser on a laptop.
With 150 transponders around the world, constant high-speed internet
connection will be available aboard Lufthansa aircraft beginning
in March 2004 (the first to carry the system will be an A340.)
Using your usual internet server you can gain access to the net
at large, or by using a virtual private network (VPN) you can
reach your company's intranet or network on a secure connection.
In-seat Ethernet and RJ45 jacks (both of which are standard on
any computer with a modem) will be present in all seats offering
the service.
The system will allow you to re-ticket or re-book in flight, and
there is potential for opening a new internet Duty-Free Shop from
which you may order and have your goods waiting at your destination
on arrival. A feature being considered is video conferencing,
which will be readily accessible via a webcam hooked up to a laptop.
Connexion by Boeing has been evaluated on 155 Lufthansa flights
between London and New York since January 15, with a 95% approval
rating. These test flights have shown that on the average, 3%-5%
of passengers used the service for about three hours each.
At that rate of usage, Connexion by Boeing and Lufthansa believe
the service will pay for itself within two years. Growth predictions
suggest that within two years of full service, 8% of passengers
will be using Connexion by Boeing, and within three years that
will rise to 20%.
