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2003
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Calendar
WAEA
24th Annual Conference & Exhibition
9-12
September 2003
Washington State Convention & Trade
Center
Session
Articles
Broadband
and Internet Onboard
Peter Lewalter (Lufthansa German Airlines) and Jamie Cassidy
(British Airways), moderated by Rich Salter.
Both airline representatives declared the onboard trials of
the Connexion by Boeing real-time connectivity system to be
a success.
Lufthansa, which provided the service free of charge, offered
802.11b wireless access and had loaner-laptops available to
passengers. Lewalter and Cassidy believe all future laptops
will have built-in wireless capability, and it is a challenge
airlines must meet.
Lewalter was impressed by the number of passengers using the
service during night flights, noting that premium-class passengers
used the service more during daylight hours, while economy-class
use increased at night.
Cassidy said one of BA's primary goals for the trial was determining
if passengers would pay for the service and how much they
would pay. The service was offered initially at US$25, and
then increased to US$35 with "relatively small impact." Satisfaction
ratings were high, and passenger demand is strong to reintroduce
the service.
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