By Francine Brevetti, BUSINESS WRITER

AFTER A NINE-HOUR SAS flight from Copenhagen, Brad Smith alighted in Seattle ecstatic. He had just finished seven hours of work on his laptop while in the air and could go home to play with his kids instead of facing a mountain of work.

The technology company executive was delighted that while flying he had disposed of 150 e-mails and settled some issues with colleagues back in his office through instant messaging — all thanks to the technology of Connexions by Boeing.

Last May, when German carrier Lufthansa installed Connexion by Boeing`s high-speed, broadband Internet service, it led the way for a new air travel culture. Since then SAS, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have come on board to offer passengers in every class the opportunity to use their laptops in-flight for $30 an hour.

Beverly Wyse, director of strategy and business development for Connexions by Boeing, said the San Francisco region is a large market for the mobile information subsidiary of The Boeing Co.

``San Francisco is one of our best markets, with high-tech business travel giving us excellent feedback,`` Wyse said. ``The service is just what you get in your office with DSL or cable.``

Passenger Smith described the in-flight broadband connection as ``phenomenal.`` He praised the speed and said the couple of moments of latency were negligible. Smith said he found it extremely easy to log on to the wireless LAN connection with his credit card and would definitely use the service again.

Wyse couldn`t say how many unique individual users the service has had in the last year, but did say it has accrued 300 corporate users.

``We recently finished a survey of 600 Lufthansa passengers. Ninety-three percent were happy or very happy with the service,`` she said.

Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt said that 38 percent of frequent fliers want Internet access and are happy to pay $30 an hour for it. According to Forrester, 76 percent of today`s business travelers are carrying laptops as long-haul flights grow increasingly common.

Meta Group analyst Jerry Murphy wondered how many employers will be willing to eat the $200 in hourly fees that Smith racked up flying over the northern hemisphere for work he could have been doing in his office.

Connexions by Boeing executive Wyse said corporate deals were being negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

And apparently 300 companies are willing to pay for it. With discounts of course.

``People want to stay in touch with their offices if there is a 10-hour flight; they want real-time connectivity,`` Harteveldt said.

Internet connectivity is going to change the whole culture within the cabin.

``If there is a weather delay and you missed your flight, your flight attendant might book you on another flight and then hand you the new ticket while you`re still in the cabin,`` Wyse said, attributing this capability to the presence of the Internet on board.

Online access supports the crew, the maintenance and the aircraft as well as the individual passenger. The Internet can transmit data with greater detail and precision than the communications systems already on board.

``You can transmit information about certain errors before they show up in the sensors,`` Harteveldt said.

Online access also helps carriers that have been scaling back in-flight entertainment. Internet access is a boon for them because the customer pays. It will be even more helpful in June, when the Boeing technology enables your laptop to connect to four live TV channels aboard Singapore Airlines. Just imagine how your toddlers will react when you open up your laptop to Teletubbies while flying over the ocean.

At this point, none of the carriersoffering the Boeing service is an American airline. Why?

``Because they`re broke,`` Harteveldt said. ``They are trying to figure out how to pay for fuel at $60 a barrel. They are not focusing on in-flight entertainment.``

Before 9/11, United Airlines and Delta Airlines were partners with Connexions by Boeing. But after the disaster, the analyst said, they had to terminate their partnership. The situation puts U.S. carriers at a disadvantage for business and leisure travelers making long-haul flights, he said.

``If you have two members of an alliance and one is a U.S. carrier and the other is a foreign carrier and they`re flying on the same route and one has Internet access, which one do you think the passenger will choose?`` Harteveldt said. At the present time, 13 U.S. cities and Toronto are served by the foreign carriers that offer Connexion.

Connexion by Boeing`s Wyse agreed that most U.S. carriers still are struggling with economic recovery. ``We are looking forward in 2005 to negotiating with several major U.S. carriers.``

Connexions by Boeing soon will be available aboard cargo vessels, and the company looks forward to the day when cruise ships will have it too.

Boeing and European rival Airbus have aligned themselves behind two different services. Airbus supports a consortium called On Air. Participants include SITA, a company that connects airline cabins to telephone lines; Tenzing, a provider of e-mail, text messaging and instant messaging services on airlines; and Airbus, which is working to integrate these systems on board.

On Air initiated its business by sending batches of data every 10 minutes. So instead of getting live connectivity, the passenger has had to wait for intermittent updates of his e-mail or browser. This would suggest there also were limitations on file sizes that could be accessed and transferred.

Harteveldt of Forrester said he believes the consortium was trying to upgrade.

US Airways has been using an e-mail and limited Internet access system through Verizon called JetConnect. However, its spokesperson said the service will be terminated July 1 when Verizon exits the market. Cathay Pacific offers an e-mail service on board called Netvigator.

Of course there are those travelers who look forward to long-haul flights as a time to escape and be incommunicado. They may be thinking, ``Will there never be any peace, even aboard a 17-hour flight?``

The answer is simple — don`t bring your laptop.

Francine Brevetti can be reached at (510) 208-6416 or fbrevetti@angnewspapers.com.