United to offer in-flight WiFi service in 2006

[Alexander Turcic]

United Airlines will be the first carrier in the US to offer in-flight broadband access via WiFi. NYT writes today that the airline received approval from regulators to install wireless Internet networks on its planes. It won't be until late 2006 when passengers will be able to check e-mail, send instant messages and surf the Web at 30,000 feet. Unlike its competitors like Lufthansa, United is not going to use Boeing's Connexion technology to offer the service. Instead, the airline will build upon its existing phone network:

United's Wi-Fi system will piggyback on its existing onboard phone network, which is operated in a partnership with Verizon. Data will be transmitted to and received from the planes through towers on the ground.

No information has been given how this network compares to Connexion regarding pricing and capacity.

[Pride Of Lions]

I wonder how long it'll take this technology to trickle down to the low-cost airlines. I'd say 5 years before Southwest or Jet Blue start to offer this service to business travelers. Even more wanting are more seats with the external power jack for laptops/PDA's. Then it'll make more sense to pay for the service if one can guarantee batery life to the working device.

2010, here I come!
POL9A