SEATTLE-Connexion by Boeing, a unit of The Boeing Co. and Lufthansa German Airlines, launched its commercial airline Wi-Fi service on a flight from Munich, Germany, to Los Angeles.
Passengers on the flight were able to use real-time, Wi-Fi-based Internet connectivity while in flight. David Friedman, the company’s vice president of marketing and direct sales, sent the first message using the service to his team on the ground.
The service is offered in conjunction with Lufthansa’s FlyNet portal onboard its A340-300 aircraft. FlyNet provides free updates to current news, travel information, shopping and frequent flyer details. Connexion by Boeing is a fee-based service that allows customers to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail, and set up secure data connections to corporate intranets and mail servers. The service is $30 for the entire flight or $10 for 30 minutes and 25 cents per minute thereafter.
The service has been installed on five Lufthansa aircraft. The airline has committed to installing the service on all of its long-haul aircraft. Several other airlines have signed similar deals with Connexion by Boeing.
