Boeing announces pricing for in-flight Internet

SEATTLE -- After a couple of years of planning and testing, pricing for in-flight Internet access has been announced, and it's surprisingly inexpensive. Connexion by Boeing has released pricing details for its high-speed in-flight Internet service scheduled to become commercially available this spring, at just under US$30 for international flights and 30-minutes for US$10.

Connexion by Boeing said it has created a model that enables airline passengers to affordably extend their on-the-ground connectivity experience. The result is more choices for how to use their time in the air using either of two initial pricing plans, which will vary depending on flight length:

Flat Rate Pricing Option: (Unlimited access to the Internet) US$29.95 for long-haul flights (more than six hours); US$19.95 for medium-haul flights (between three and six hours); and US$14.95 for flights less than three hours.

Metered Pricing Option: 30-minute starter package for US$9.95 with rates of US$0.25 per minute thereafter.

"Our research shows that 38 percent of frequent travelers are willing to pay at least $25 per flight for full, high-speed access to the Internet and their corporate network," said Forrester Research analyst Henry Harteveldt." In-flight broadband Internet access is a highly desirable amenity, especially among frequent business and leisure airline travelers. Airlines that don't offer passengers this kind of service risk losing a key segment of their customer base to carriers that do."

Boeing said the pricing is based on extensive customer research conducted individually and in conjunction with leading airlines in Europe, Asia and the U.S. and is intended to be affordable for all travelers seeking secure, reliable access to the people and information that are important to them. Connexion by Boeing, which provides a broadband connection to the aircraft, claims to be the only Internet service that offers users a high-speed, real-time experience comparable to the one they currently enjoy at the office or at home, including unrestricted virtual private network (VPN) access to personal and work-related e-mail accounts and intranets, as well as entertainment applications and an in-flight portal for customer service and support.

"This is truly about increasing the connectivity choices for airlines and their passengers," said Connexion by Boeing Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Sales David Friedman. "Pricing puts the final puzzle piece in place for a successful commercial launch that will in turn revolutionize the way people work, communicate and entertain themselves while mobile, and really expands the choices they have for doing so."

Lufthansa will be the first airline to launch the Connexion by Boeing service on commercial flights originating from Germany this spring. Connexion by Boeing also has service agreements with several of the world's leading passenger airlines including Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Japan Airlines and ANA. Singapore Airlines and China Airlines also have expressed their intent to install the service in subsequent months.

Unlike narrowband services in the market today, Connexion by Boeing said its service eliminates unexpected surprises by ensuring that business and leisure travelers won't have to change their terrestrial habits, count minutes or compute their kilobytes to gain access to the Internet and e-mail applications.

Connexion by Boeing is also working directly with third-party mobile service providers to further simplify the customer experience and offer them the opportunity to have high-speed Internet access in planes through their home provider. As those agreements solidify, passengers will be able to log onto the Connexion by Boeing service using the same ID and password they might use in the home or office and have streamlined billing and customer support.

"We've met several significant industry and technology milestones to get to this point including: gaining international regulatory approvals; establishing an extensive global ground and satellite network; conducting successful service trials and securing airline commitments; and achieved unparalleled technology developments," Friedman said. "We look forward to working with our airline partners to make true in-flight Internet access an affordable reality."

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