Logging
on at 35,000 Feet
Easy Access to the Internet while Flying
by Anja Tranovich
A majority of international and domestic airlines, from
Swiss International Air Lines to Delta, is now testing
or installing in-air wireless Internet access, some are
even setting up technology to allow for en route cell
phone communication.
Within the year you’ll be able
to e-mail your boyfriend’s BlackBerry mid-flight
to see if he wants Thai for dinner, as well as stream
the latest Weeds episode on many of the major airlines.
Some carriers are planning to offer the service for
free, but on most you’ll have to purchase it like
any other in-flight amenity for prices relative to online
access at a hotel or Starbucks. Keep in mind, however,
you will also need your own laptop or smartphone to
tap into the system on most planes.
Meanwhile, Virgin and some European
airlines are planning to transform seat consoles from
mini entertainment centers into multi-functional computers.
Virgin will offer online TV and networked video games
passengers can play against others in the air, even
on different flights.
These in-flight innovations were developed
from equal parts consumer demand, technological advances,
and the airlines’ bottom line need to generate
more revenue.
The next few months will be the tipping
point for mass in-air online service as the first wave
of in-flight Internet access is implemented on a large
scale. Test runs are flying across oceans and continents
right now, and most airlines plan full installation
in 2009. Insiders predict in-air wireless access will
become an industry standard in the coming months, and
most likely you’ll be able to log onto your Gmail
account from seats in everything from 737s to the A340s.
WHO HAS IT
Airlines provide an array of different technologies
and services related to online access. Some offer full
Wi-Fi and online TV, others are simply enabling the
wireless function on smartphones and PDAs. Most American
carriers are installing full Wi-Fi and plan to charge
about $13 for a five-hour trip. The speed will be similar
to a DSL connection with a few limitations; you’ll
be able to cruise websites normally, but downloading
a full music album might put you at the back of the
line for bandwidth. Only a handful of European and Asian
airlines are allowing phone calls via cell phone and
VOIP communication. Here is a list of what to expect
from some of the major airlines, and when to expect
it, current as of press time.
TAP Portugal, Ryan Air, Air France,
Air Asia, and Jazeera Air have partnered with Geneva-based
company, OnAir. Each is using OnAir’s satellite
connection system slightly differently. OnAir’s
service is in test runs now with full implementation
planned for 2009. Air France is currently testing technology
that allows iPhones, PDAs, and cell phones to connect
to the Internet, send and receive SMS, and be fully
operational for phone calls.
American Airlines now offers broadband
access on non-stop cross continental flights between
New York and California, and JFK and Miami. They are
using Aircell’s Gogo system and will charge $12.95
per flight for the full five hours and $9.95 on shorter
flights.
Virgin America is also using Gogo and
has plans to implement a social network integrated with
the airline’s seatback entertainment system on
all of its aircraft. The San Francisco-based airline
will begin in-flight testing this year with a commercial
rollout in early 2009. Pricing has not been announced.
 Delta
has the most expansive in-flight broadband offering
of any US air carrier and will install Aircell’s
Gogo in-flight Internet service on the airline’s
domestic fleet of more than 330 aircraft by 2009. Delta
will charge a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three
hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three
hours.
Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines
are both working with satellite-based broadband developed
by the company Row 44, which would provide Internet
access over oceans and across nearly the entire globe.
Neither has finalized the system nor set pricing.
JetBlue is testing BetaBlue, a Wi-Fi-equipped
A320 that gives free access to websites such as Yahoo!,
Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL mail. Jetblue has one enabled
BetaBlue plane in the air as a test run.
HOW IT WORKS
Finding cost-effective ways to connect to the Internet
while speeding 580 miles per hour through the air, 35,000
feet above the ground, presents some obvious technological
challenges. A handful of companies, like Aircell, OnAir,
and Row 44, have developed connection products that
tap into pre-existing satellite or cellular infrastructures.
They’ve partnered with airlines to provide, install,
and run the equipment. Data is sent to and from the
plane either via satellites, or through cellular base
stations. Inside, the plane is wired like any other
hotspot with a Wi-Fi box gathering and emitting signals
similar to what you’d have at home. The systems
designed around satellite technology, like Row 44’s,
provide universal coverage allowing passengers to log
on while crossing oceans and are faster than cellular-based
models, but cellular-based technology is cheaper and
seems to be getting in planes more quickly.
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