Agencies

HAMBURG, March 6: Logging on to the Internet from planes is becoming more common as carriers seek to offer a greater variety of services to passengers in the fiercely competitive airline market.

People flying with the German carrier Lufthansa can use their laptops this way on 50 of its planes equipped with the Connexion system of US manufacturer Boeing.

Boeing has installed the system on about 100 aircraft operated by nine carriers worldwide, according to Connexion spokesman Terrance Scott.

The decision made by Lufthansa four years ago to enter into broadband cooperation with Boeing is starting to pay dividends.

Development of the Connexion antenna technology proved complex, but it offers passengers the chance to surf the net in the same way they can from their homes or offices or using an airport hotspot.

Alternatives, such as sending e-mails or text messages from planes, are rarely in demand these days.

"The customer wants a simple solution," says Scott. "He doesn't want to spend a long time experimenting or be driven to distraction by configuration problems."

Singapore Airlines (SIA) spokesman Peter Tomasch agrees that the new system has lots of benefits. "Access is simple. Passengers can use it as they would a hotspot on the ground."

SIA offers the Connexion service on 16 of its Boeing 747-400s, including the route from New York to Singapore via Frankfurt.

Before launching the service, Connexion conducted a great deal of research, analysing the behaviour and wishes of potential users. According to Scott, 89 percent of those questioned said the need to read work-related e-mails was the main reason for wanting access to the web.

A desire to hear the latest news was the second most common reason, put forward by 60 percent, followed by the wish to contact friends and relatives.

Passengers wanting to access the service currently pay $9.95 an hour. For a period of 24 hours, the cost is $26.95.

Two-thirds of Lufthansa's long-haul fleet are equipped with Internet access, according to Reinhold Huber, head of the German airline's product and service management department.

"That's the equivalent of 16,000 seats, quite a lot when you think that we started with just one aircraft three years ago."

In addition to Lufthansa and SIA, Star Alliance partners SAS, Asiana and ANA offer the new system.

On the ground, Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail network is trying out a similar system using WLAN hotspots on its ICE Intercity trains.

But unlike aeroplanes, trains have to contend with the difficulties posed by topography, such as tunnels and embankments.

"Technically, it is very demanding to overcome such problems," says Diana Scharl, a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn Systems. The system currently on trial involves accessing the Internet via UMTS channels, but alternatives such as satellite access are under study.

Lufthansa manager Huber says Internet access is only the beginning. "There is great potential in the area of telemedicine, flight planning and onboard entertainment," he says. Telephoning via the net and reception of live television is already technically possible, he adds.

Connexion spokesman Scott says the company's research revealed that 61 percent of those questioned wanted to be able to make calls from their cell-phones when in the air. This was followed by requests for making calls via the net, a wider selection of films on board and information about destinations.

But the technical aspect is just one issue involving multimedia connectivity between planes and the ground. Social behaviour is another.

It's hard to see how annoying ring tones or passengers talking loudly over their cell-phones can be reconciled with the service culture of top-flight airlines.

One alternative would be to designate special "telephone zones" in aircraft or restrict the times when telephoning is possible.

"We'll watch how things progress and come to a workable arrangement," says Huber