Connexion by Boeing
Connexion by Boeing (in German about "(Internet) connection through Boeing") was a subsidiary of Boeing that offered a system for using the Internet on board an aircraft. This service allowed the traveler a broadband - internet access through both wired Ethernet as through a wireless 802.11 Wi-Fi to use connection. Because this concept turned out to be economically unsuccessful, the service was only offered from May 2004 to the end of 2006 and then discontinued.
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The “Connexion by Boeing” concept was first presented in April 2000. The system received FAA certification in May 2002. Although it won the World Travel Award at the end of 2003 - and a second time in February 2005 - there were only a few customers. The first was Lufthansa , where Connexion by Boeing was built into the long-haul fleet from May 2004 (Lufthansa FlyNet ). Later came ANA , Japan Airlines and SAS added. In 2005 the first live television program (also called "CBB-TV") was introduced on an international route by Singapore Airlines , which was to be expanded to all customers of Connexion by Boeing. In Germany you could watch CNBC , Eurosport , BBC and Euronews . Boeing has invested around one billion US dollars in development so far.
On June 26, 2006 it was announced that Boeing would like to part with the group division. Consider a sale, a partnership with other companies or even a hiring, as only a few airlines and private customers would have ordered the system. Reasons for this were, for example, the high conversion costs to receive the signals from the satellites, and the associated antennas are very large and therefore increase kerosene consumption, especially in smaller aircraft. On August 17, 2006, Boeing announced that it was discontinuing the service because it was not profitable for the reasons mentioned above.
Meanwhile, an alternative from the provider OnAir is available for GSM connections , which Ryanair would like to offer. The basic system is also to be continued and even expanded by Panasonic .
With its new partner Panasonic Avionics, Lufthansa is currently planning to bring the Internet back to its aircraft under the name “FlyNet”. Accordingly, the service should be available free of charge on selected North Atlantic flights until January 2011. Subsequently, in February 2011, the new Lufthansa pricing model will come into effect, which is expected to offer billing options by credit card, award miles and a roaming partner. It is currently assumed that an hour will cost € 10.95. A 24-hour flat rate is expected to be offered for € 19.95. In addition, GSM services such as SMS and MMS should be available to customers. Telephoning by mobile phone will be prohibited on Lufthansa flights until further notice, which according to Lufthansa is a wish of many customers. It is not yet known whether VOIP will also be blocked in this context.
Customers
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines (AUA)
- China Airlines
- El-Al
- Etihad Airways
- Japan Airlines
- Korean Air
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Singapore Airlines
Web links
- OnAir homepage (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ FAZ : Boeing is examining options for loss-making Connexion (June 27, 2006) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Financial news: Boeing says goodbye to Internet subsidiary Connexion (August 17, 2006)
- ↑ Handelsblatt : Mobile calls will soon be possible in Ryanair and KLM planes (August 30, 2006)
- ↑ aero.de: Panasonic plans successor for Connexion by Boeing (September 22, 2006) ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ miles-and-more.com: Lufthansa FlyNet®: Unlimited communication on long-haul flights
- ↑ news.travel24.om: WLAN on the plane: Lufthansa introduces Internet service (December 2, 2010)
