In-flight communication advancements

Once upon a time there was nothing much to do on a flight except read a book. Now airlines are dreaming up so many ideas to keep passengers occupied that they will never want to land.

Airlines continue to invent new ways for passengers to work and play during flights. While Lufthansa rolls out its FlyNet e-mail and Web surfing service, Airbus is working on providing mobile telephone reception on board its aircraft. Meanwhile, a small number of airlines have started to introduce live television and videos for hire, even on short-haul routes.

Lufthansa’s FlyNet lets passengers hook their laptop computers into the Internet or private company intranets in exactly the same way as they would on the ground. The project has been a great success since it launched in May and the number of routes on which it is available continues to expand. These include Los Angeles, Tokyo, Teheran, Charlotte, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Denver and, from 14 December, San Francisco and Miami.

From 2006, mobile telephones will be seen on board aircraft as well as laptops. Airbus has successfully held its first trials that allow passengers to use GSM phones to send and receive text and voice messages. Calls are routed via a ‘picocell’, which reduces the strength of phone signals to prevent them interfering with an aircraft’s electronic equipment.

``This technological advance could be a significant breakthrough in helping executives stay in touch with colleagues on the ground,`` says TQ3 Travel Solutions global VP marketing, Melanie Garrett. ``However, it will have to be introduced carefully. The last thing business travellers will want is to be woken from their sleep by a fellow passenger’s cellphone ringing in the middle of the night.``

On the entertainment front, Singapore Airlines is set to become the first airline outside the US to show live television in-flight. During the first quarter of 2005, it is introducing Boeing Connexion, the same Internet technology that powers Lufthansa’s FlyNet. Singapore will add the ability for passengers using Boeing Connexion to watch four live news channels through their laptops.

Also in the southern hemishipere, Virgin Blue of Australia will start broadcasting live television from May 2005. JetBlue, West Jet and Frontier Airlines already offer a similar service on domestic US flights.

Ryanair has come up with a different approach. It gives passengers the chance to watch Hollywood films, cartoons, sports and music videos on a Digeplayer 5500 DVD player. The service is available for €7.50 per flight.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary also wants to introduce digital in-flight gambling. Talks are at an early stage, but the idea may only be legal outside national airspace, which rules out most European flights. But given Mr. O’Leary’s reputation for getting his own way, don’t bet against the gambling idea becoming reality.

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