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Japan Airlines Co (JAL) will begin offering high-speed Internet connection onboard select international flights from the summer of 2012, utilizing the technologies of Panasonic Avionics Corp.
Panasonic's broadband Ku connectivity solution eXConnect, will first be installed on JAL's fleet of Boeing 777s and introduced on routes between Japan and its gateways in Europe as well as in North America. The airline plans to eventually equip its entire long-range fleet with this function, subsequently expanding this service to the rest of its international network.
There has been increasing demand for mobile Internet connectivity even in-flight as customers value the options to do work or stay in contact with family and friends while on the go and also to have alternative forms of in-flight entertainment especially for long hours onboard.
Customers with their own personal electronic devices such as laptops and other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets will soon be able to experience the same connectivity and convenience of ground-level broadband Internet access, thousands of meters up in the air whenever they fly with JAL. The new in-flight service will not only allow customers in every cabin class to check and send emails, stay abreast with updates on their social media network and browse the web, but also allow fast transfers of large data files just as in a Wi-Fi environment on the ground. Charges will apply for the service and the cost for usage will be announced at a later date nearer the launch.
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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Reinaert Albrecht
This simply shows that what we were suspecting for over years is true: wifi does no harm to airplanes...
nath
Make it free. The tickets cost enough as it is on that loser airline.
smithinjapan
So for years they've been telling us to turn off cell phones and other electronics that can connect to the internet because it interferes with signals to the plane and can be hazardous, etc., but now that they can make a quick buck off it...?
shirokuma2011
Now all JAL needs to do is provide power ports at every seat (they may have them on other more lucrative routes, but not on the 777s I take to Honolulu--even in business class).
lucabrasi
I like my planes simple. The more electronics they pack in, the greater the chance of something going wrong, leading to disaster. There was a Swiss plane which crashed a few years back after a fire caused by electronics problems; they'd recently installed some fancy video game system at every seat. Keep it simple and get me there in one piece is all I ask. (Man, I seriously hate flying!)
NetNinja
Pipe Dream. We are totally not going to see this. This won't bleed to Economy EVER!!! Flight attendants close the curtains and that's the end of your Internet Service. It's a great idea but there's no way these airlines are going to be able to meet the demand.
iPhones, iPads, ultra-portable laptops, imagine all those devices trying to connect in Economy. What's worse imagine the accidents. Spilled drinks on laptops, privacy invasion and the very very worse. In-Flight hackers going global, completely mobile, using proxies, could be chaos
I think First Class and Business Class customers should have this service available to them. Economy is going to bog the server down.
If people are using even the smallest laptop which might be about 11' or 12' those trays still aren't big enough. I used ANA's Business Class on a return flight to Japan and even that table is too small for a laptop and mouse pad.
nath
shirokuma2011
Charge in the toilet! I do that. There are also regular plugs near the back door of the planes so they can use vacuums.
nath
And NetNinja....have you ever heard of a VPN? You can hide your on line privacy with it. A good one and cheap is called watchmya__.com There are two "S's" after that "A"
The758
Some of us did see this a few years ago with Connexion by Boeing. The plug was pulled because it was too expensive and there wasn't enough demand. What I'm wondering is how long this new service will last?
Elbuda Mexicano
If the airlines want to survive, they will need to provide FREE internet use on all these LONG HAUL FLIGHTS! I think Singapore Airlines now provides FREE IPADS on all of their international flights, I guess that must mean all of their flights because Singapore is so small, no flights from one side of the city to the other?? But seriously, I can not wait to type away on an IPAD from up in the air! Go JAL GO!!