The first aircraft to be fitted with the production version of Boeing's Connexion broadband internet and e-mail service will be Airbus A340s, Lufthansa has revealed.
The German carrier plans to fit 78 of its long-haul aircraft with the system by 2006, starting with three A340s in March next year (Flight International, 3-9 June).
Connexion by Boeing senior vice-president Scott Carson says the company is now offering a video conferencing capability for business aircraft, and that the high-latitude-capable third-generation Connexion antenna will be certificated by December.
Other carriers are set to follow Lufthansa's Connexion deal. "British Airways, Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines are well into negotiations, which we hope will lead to contracts," he says, adding that a deal with a fifth unnamed carrier is close.
Carson says that during BA's trial of Connexion on a Boeing 747 earlier this year, the system was used on "about 3-5% of equipped seats". BA charged between £20 ($33) and £25 per flight for the service. Carson believes $30 is a sustainable charge. "Our business model is based on 3% uptake [on each flight] initially, rising to 20% in time," he says. He predicts 4,000 aircraft will eventually be equipped with the system.
Source: Flight International
