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The DEFINITIVE guide to Airline WiFi and Internet Access
25/10/2006
Introduction
One of our most beloved cultural beliefs is that the world is getting smaller, as travel and communications combine to break down the traditional, natural and political borders between people. It is ironic, then, that in some ways the innovations of air travel preclude its passengers from utilising other technological advances in communication, creating for many one of the last points of alienation in the civilised world.
Whilst some of the busiest people find a type of freedom in being "cut-off" from the world, for countless others it is a major source of frustration. Many companies, however, have been working on the answer to this problem for many years – that is, connectivity solutions for airplanes. There is strong demand from consumers for reasonably-priced access to live television, telephony, email and the internet whilst airborne, and this article provides a comprehensive guide to what's available on which airlines and routes. All links provided point to the relevant page on the airline's own site where possible (some don't allow direct linking).
Airline quick links:
- Air China
- | All Nippon Airways
- | Asiana Airways
- | Austrian Airlines
- | British Airways
- | El Al
- | Emirates
- | Etihad
- | EVA Air
- | Iberia
- | Japan Airlines
- | KLM
- | Korean Air
- | Lauda Italy
- | Lufthansa
- | Malaysia Airlines
- | Northwest Airlines
- | Pakistan International Airliens
- | Qantas
- | SAS
- | Singapore
- | Virgin Atlantic
Solutions
Broadly speaking, there are two different types of service available, which can then be customised by the individual provider. The most flexible services are those offered via satellite connections to the individual vessels, which in turn contain an internal wireless network. This is the methodology employed by the Connexion by Boeing service. Its Airbus-funded competitor, OnAir (incorporating the "Tenzing" service), also uses satellite technology but is currently restricted to email, instant messaging and short message service (SMS) through seat-based units. Both the Boeing and Airbus solutions can already be found in many services operating today, and because these services do not rely on direct contact with the ground, they make internet access over large oceans possible.
An alternative technology is a cellular solution, which utilises an "air-to-ground" link. This has been developed by companies such as AirCell, JetBlue and Verizon, but as the name suggests, an "air-to-ground" solution will only operate when the airplane is flying over landmass, meaning that in practical terms it is only useful for continental US providers – an industry hampered by the effects of 9/11, and not yet in a position to adopt this technology in a serious fashion. However, with some integration of services such as live television, as well as the FCC's allocation of the appropriate frequency spectrum in early 2006, this technology is predicted by some experts to be available in 2007. Its cost should be a fraction of that taken to install the satellite solution, meaning that it may be viable for the continental US market.
As it stands, therefore, the satellite solution is more prevalent and will be the focus of this article. As we will find out, however, the players in this relatively more successful market have also experienced the financial pinch of what still remains a delicate industry.
Connexion by Boeing
See:
Official Site (Now closed down, see below)
Wikipedia Entry
Boeing bravely made an early entrance into the industry, offering full internet access via their “Connexion by Boeing” (CBB) service. This service remains the only one to offer full wireless connectivity to laptops, with recorded speeds of up to 4Mbit downstream/1MBit upstream. In addition, to web services, VPN connections are also supported, as well as other non-port 80 traffic. There are currently more than 180 flights daily that provide this service. Uptake with airlines, however, was not overwhelming – perhaps due to the $500,000 cost of fitting each airplane – and the 17th of August 2006 saw Boeing announce that it would be discontinuing the service.
Its inclusion in this guide, however, is still essential. Why? Because the service will be free on those airlines that provided it to their passengers until the end of 2006, and thereafter it seems more than likely that these companies will amongst the first to adopt and work with whatever technologies arise as replacements. Panasonic, for example, were recently reported to be interested in the business. As Lufthansa, the first airline to feature CBB under their "FlyNet" brand puts it in their press release:
Up to now, Connexion by Boeing has been the only supplier for broadband Internet use aboard aircraft. Due to the new situation, the market is currently restructuring itself. In the interest of its passengers, Lufthansa hopes to be able to continue to offer FlyNet® in future and, therefore, is conducting intensive discussions with Boeing as well as several other potential providers.
Find below, therefore, a list of the current providers for CBB connections. At the start of 2006, the prices were set at $9.95 for 1 hour, $14.95 for 2 hours, $17.95 for 3 hours and $26.95 for 24 hours, including connecting flights. From 3rd of October until the termination of the service on the 31st of December, however, CBB will be free. Credit Card numbers will still be taken for authentication purposes, but not charged. Please note also, that all of these services may be subject to last-minute changes in aircraft, as well as technical difficulties/planned downtime with CBB.
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| NH001 | Washington D.C. - Tokyo (Daily as of July 1st) | NH002 | Tokyo - Washington D.C. (Daily as of July 1st) |
| NH005 | Los Angeles - Tokyo (Offered on Selected Flights) | NH006 | Tokyo - Los Angeles (Offered on Selected Flights) |
| NH007 | San Francisco - Tokyo (Offered on Selected Flights) | NH008 | Tokyo - San Francisco (Offered on Selected Flights) |
| NH009 | New York/JFK - Tokyo (Daily) | NH010 | Tokyo - New York/JFK (Daily) |
| NH205 | Tokyo - Paris (Offered on Selected Flights) | NH206 | Paris - Tokyo (Offered on Select Flights) |
Asiana Airways
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| OZ271 | Seattle - Seoul (Mon, Wed, Sat) | OZ272 | Seoul - Seattle (Mon, Wed, Sat) |
| OZ331 | Seoul - Ho Chi Minh (Thu, Sun) | OZ332 | Ho Chi Minh - Seoul (Mon, Fri) |
| OZ365 | Seoul - Shanghai (Mon, Sat) | OZ366 | Shanghai - Seoul (Mon, Sat) |
| OZ102 | Seoul - Narita (Mon) | OZ101 | Narita - Seoul (Mon) |
| OZ723 | Seoul - Hong Kong (Daily) | OZ724 | Hong Kong - Seoul (Daily) |
El Al
No data available – passengers are advised to check with their El Al travel agent or ground staff to see if their flight will have the FlyWeb/CBB service.
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Etihad
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| EY307 | Abu Dhabi - London Gatwick (Daily) | EY308 | London Gatwick - Abu Dhabi (Daily) |
| EY401 | Abu Dhabi - Bangkok (Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) | EY402 | Bangkok - Abu Dhabi (Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) |
| EY403 | Abu Dhabi - Bangkok (Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) | EY404 | Bangkok - Abu Dhabi (Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) |
| EY423 | Abu Dhabi - Jakarta (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat) | EY424 | Jakarta - Abu Dhabi (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat) |
| EY427 | Abu Dhabi - Manila (Tue, Wed, Fri) | EY428 | Manila - Abu Dhabi (Tue, Wed, Fri) |
Japan Airlines (JAL)
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| JL003 | Chicago - Tokyo (Offered on Selected Flights) | JL004 | Tokyo - Chicago (Offered on Selected Flights) |
| JL005 | New York - Tokyo (Daily) | JL006 | Tokyo - New York (Daily) |
| JL009 | Chicago - Tokyo (Offered on Selected Flights) | JL010 | Tokyo - Chicago (Offered on Selected Flights) |
| JL401 | Tokyo - London (Daily) | JL402 | London - Tokyo (Daily) |
Korean Air
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| KE001 | Seoul - Tokyo - Los Angeles (Daily) | KE002 | Los Angeles - Tokyo - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE011 | Seoul - Los Angeles (Daily) | KE012 | Los Angeles - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE017 | Seoul - Los Angeles (Daily) | KE018 | Los Angeles - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE023 | Seoul - San Francisco (Mon, Tue, Thr, Fri, Sat, Sun) | KE024 | San Francisco - Seoul (Mon, Tue, Thr, Fri, Sat, Sun) |
| KE025 | Seoul - Seattle (Tue, Thu, Sat) | KE026 | Seattle - Seoul (Tue, Thu, Sat) |
| KE037 | Seoul - Chicago (Daily) | KE038 | Chicago - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE081 | Seoul - New York (Daily) | KE082 | New York - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE085 | Seoul - New York (Daily) | KE086 | New York – Seoul (Daily) |
| KE093 | Seoul - Washington D.C. (Tue, Wed, Thr, Sat, Sun) | KE094 | Washington D.C. - Seoul (Tue, Wed, Thr, Sat, Sun) |
| KE627 | Seoul - Jakarta (Daily) | KE628 | Jakarta - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE703 | Seoul - Narita (Daily) | KE704 | Narita - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE811 | Seoul - Sydney (Daily) | KE812 | Sydney - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE851 | Seoul - Peking (Tue, Thu, Sat) | KE852 | Peking - Seoul (Tue, Thu, Sat) |
| KE641 | Seoul - Singapore (Daily) | KE642 | Singapore - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE651 | Seoul - Bangkok (Daily) | KE652 | Bangkok - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE905 | Seoul - Frankfurt (Daily) | KE906 | Frankfurt - Seoul (Daily) |
| KE951 | Seoul - Dubai - Cairo (Mon, Wed, Fri) | KE952 | Cairo - Dubai - Seoul (Tue, Thu, Sat) |
Lufthansa
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| LH400 | Frankfurt - New York/JFK | LH401 | New York/JFK - Frankfurt |
| LH406 | Frankfurt - New York/JFK | LH407 | New York/JFK - Frankfurt |
| LH410 | Munich - New York/JFK | LH411 | New York/JFK - Munich |
| LH414 | Munich - Washington D.C. | LH415 | Washington D.C. - Munich |
| LH418 | Frankfurt - Washington D.C. | LH419 | Washington D.C. - Frankfurt |
| LH424 | Munich - Boston | LH425 | Boston - Munich |
| LH426 | Frankfurt - Philadelphia | LH427 | Philadelphia - Frankfurt |
| LH428 | Munich - Charlotte | LH429 | Charlotte - Munich |
| LH432 | Frankfurt - Chicago | LH433 | Chicago - Frankfurt |
| LH434 | Munich - Chicago | LH435 | Chicago - Munich |
| LH438 | Frankfurt - Dallas | LH439 | Dallas - Frankfurt |
| LH442 | Frankfurt - Detroit | LH443 | Detroit - Frankfurt |
| LH444 | Frankfurt - Atlanta | LH445 | Atlanta - Frankfurt |
| LH452 | Munich - Los Angeles | LH453 | Los Angeles - Munich |
| LH456 | Frankfurt - Los Angeles | LH457 | Los Angeles - Frankfurt |
| LH458 | Munich - San Francisco | LH459 | San Francisco - Munich |
| LH468 | Frankfurt - Portland | LH469 | Portland - Frankfurt |
| LH474 | Munich - Montreal | LH475 | Montreal - Munich |
| LH492 | Frankfurt - Vancouver | LH493 | Vancouver - Frankfurt |
| LH534 | Frankfurt - Caracas | LH535 | Caracas - Frankfurt |
| LH562 | Frankfurt - Port Harcourt | LH563 | Port Harcourt - Frankfurt |
| LH564 | Frankfurt - Lagos | LH565 | Lagos - Frankfurt |
| LH576 | Frankfurt - Cape Town | LH577 | Cape Town - Frankfurt |
| LH584 | Frankfurt - Cairo | LH585 | Cairo - Frankfurt |
| LH592 | Frankfurt - Jeddah | LH593 | Jeddah - Frankfurt |
| LH600 | Frankfurt - Teheran | LH601 | Teheran - Frankfurt |
| LH602 | Munich - Teheran | LH603 | Teheran - Munich |
| LH622 | Frankfurt - Bahrain | LH623 | Bahrain - Frankfurt |
| LH624 | Frankfurt - Kuwait - Doha | LH625 | Doha - Kuwait - Frankfurt |
| LH628 | Frankfurt - Kuwait - Dammam | LH629 | Dammam - Kuwait - Frankfurt |
| LH632 | Frankfurt - Riad - Muscat | LH633 | Muscat - Riad - Frankfurt |
| LH636 | Frankfurt - Kuwait - Abu Dhabi | LH637 | Abu Dhabi - Kuwait - Frankfurt |
| LH638 | Munich - Dubai | LH639 | Dubai - Munich |
| LH652 | Frankfurt - Cairo - Sanaa | LH653 | Sanaa - Cairo - Frankfurt |
| LH690 | Frankfurt - Tel Aviv | LH691 | Tel Aviv - Frankfurt |
| LH710 | Frankfurt - Tokyo | LH711 | Tokyo - Frankfurt |
| LH712 | Frankfurt - Seoul | LH713 | Seoul - Frankfurt |
| LH714 | Munich - Tokyo | LH715 | Tokyo - Munich |
| LH722 | Munich - Peking | LH723 | Peking - Munich |
| LH726 | Munich - Shanghai | LH727 | Shanghai - Munich |
| LH730 | Munich - Hong Kong | LH731 | Hong Kong - Munich |
| LH736 | Frankfurt - Nagoya | LH737 | Nagoya - Frankfurt |
| LH738 | Frankfurt - Hong Kong | LH739 | Hong Kong - Frankfurt |
| LH740 | Frankfurt - Osaka | LH741 | Osaka - Frankfurt |
| LH752 | Frankfurt - Hyderabad | LH753 | Hyderabad - Frankfurt |
| LH762 | Munich - Delhi | LH763 | Delhi - Munich |
| LH778 | Frankfurt - Singapore - Jakarta | LH779 | Jakarta - Singapore - Frankfurt |
| LH788 | Frankfurt - Guangzhou - Manila | LH789 | Manila - Guangzhou - Frankfurt |
Scandinavian Air Systems (SAS)
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK903 | Stockholm - Newark | SK904 | Newark - Stockholm |
| SK909 | Copenhagen - Newark | SK910 | Newark - Copenhagen |
| SK925 | Copenhagen - Washington D.C. | SK926 | Washington D.C. - Copenhagen |
| SK937 | Copenhagen - Seattle | SK938 | Seattle - Copenhagen |
| SK943 | Copenhagen - Chicago | SK944 | Chicago - Copenhagen |
| SK945 | Stockholm - Chicago | SK946 | Chicago - Stockholm |
| SK973 | Copenhagen - Bangkok | SK972 | Bangkok - Copenhagen |
| SK983 | Copenhagen - Tokyo | SK984 | Tokyo - Copenhagen |
| SK995 | Copenhagen - Peking | SK996 | Peking - Copenhagen |
| SK997 | Copenhagen - Shanghai | SK998 | Shanghai - Copenhagen |
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines English site
| Flight | Route | Flight | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQ1 | San Francisco - Hong Kong - Singapore | SQ2 | Singapore - Hong Kong - San Francisco |
| SQ11 | Los Angeles - Tokyo - Singapore | SQ12 | Singapore - Tokyo - Los Angeles |
| SQ25 | New York/JFK - Frankfurt - Singapore | SQ26 | Singapore - Frankfurt - New York/JFK |
| SQ219 | Singapore - Sydney | SQ220 | Sydney - Singapore |
| SQ221 | Singapore - Sydney | SQ222 | Sydney - Singapore |
| SQ231 | Singapore - Sydney | SQ232 | Sydney - Singapore |
| SQ317 | London - Singapore | SQ318 | Singapore - London |
| SQ319 | London - Singapore | SQ320 | Singapore - London |
| SQ321 | London - Singapore | SQ322 | Singapore - London |
| SQ865 | Hong Kong - Singapore | SQ866 | Singapore - Hong Kong |
| SQ997 | Tokyo - Singapore | SQ998 | Singapore - Tokyo |
Others
British Airways are reported to have been testing the service, but it was not fully incorporated. Air China was due to implement the technology at the start of 2007. Austrian Airlines were due to implement from 2006-2007 (link).
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OnAir/Tenzing
The "OnAir" service, a joint venture between a selection of companies including Airbus, uses similar technology to CBB but only provides a limited selection of services, including email, SMS and instant messaging. It plans to add web-browsing, VPN and other services in 2007. Unlike CBB, OnAir usually works through the at-seat screen used for television and other services, rather than offering full connectivity to passengers’ own hardware. Here is a list of airlines that provide this service:
Emirates
Email and other services available on these aircraft.
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Iberia
Business Plus passengers can access email on Airbus A340-600 routes; customers can connect their own laptop via the supplied Ethernet cable.
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KLM
Available on Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft routes, all classes.
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EVA Air
Available on Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 routes, all classes.
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Lauda Italy
Lauda Italian site - Google Translated to English
Available on A330 flights, in Business Class.
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Qantas
SMS and limited email service available on Boeing 747 and selected Airbus A330 aircraft, all classes.
topOthers
Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines and Virgin Atlantic are all due to install the OnAir service in the near future.
topSummary
So that's it – there are a wide selection of airlines offering at least a degree of connectivity in the airplanes, and whilst this remains a temperamental industry, it seems likely that the level of service will, in the long run, expand dramatically.
Link to this article:
