American, Lufthansa plan in-flight wireless services next year

American Airlines said it will begin testing in-flight high-speed broadband connectivity in 2008, and the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Lufthansa will begin to offer the same kind of service on long-haul flights in 2008. In both cases, the communications would involve Internet access, text messaging and email, but not in-flight cell phone service.


American said it is teaming up with AirCell LLC to test the service on transcontinental 767-200s next year. The service, offered for a fee that has not yet been determined, will be available in all classes and will provide high-speed Internet connections, access to virtual private networks and email through Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, PDAs and similar devices. The system, which requires installation of three antennae on the outside of the aircraft, “has the ability to adapt as technology evolves,” an American spokesman said. “If the connectivity solution is successful, it could be extended to the rest of American’s domestic fleet,” he added. Southwest Airlines is also said to be working on in-flight broadband service but a start-up date or testing schedule is still uncertain.


Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal said Lufthansa will partner with T-Mobile to bring broadband Internet and email service to its long-haul passengers starting in 2008. Lufthansa was previously a major customer of the failed Connexion by Boeing in-flight Internet service, which went out of business last year. According to the Journal, the Lufthansa/T-Mobile system will let customers use laptops to access the Internet, receive text messages on cell phones and send emails from handheld devices.