America on the dull edge again….
U.S. Airlines Lag in Providing Internet Access
On nonstop flights from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Seattle, as many as 50 passengers are using their laptops to check e-mail, surf the Internet, even send pictures — all at 35,000 feet.
That’s because the plane belongs to Scandinavian Airlines. Five years after Boeing Co. introduced Connexion, its high-speed Internet service, U.S. carriers are reluctant to get onboard because of their financial woes and concerns about added weight on planes. Boeing’s system adds 600 to 800 pounds to the plane and costs an estimated $500,000 to $600,000.
While American carriers continue to be hesitant, European, Asian, even Middle Eastern airlines — which rely heavily on business travelers, particularly on long-haul flights — are taking the Internet plunge in increasing numbers. Boeing has signed up 13 foreign airlines since 2003; nine already are offering the service to customers on 84 planes, soon to be 100. Boeing also has signed 630 corporate agreements to make it easier for companies’ employees to use the service. For Chicago-based Boeing, the hesitancy in its home market has hindered the growth of Connexion, once central to Boeing’s push to diversify from its near-total dependence on commercial jets and military systems.
Foreign carriers are finding that business travelers are hungry for the service, even at prices ranging from $9.95 for 30 minutes to $29.95 for the whole flight. A survey by the Innovation Analysis Group in San Diego recently found that more than half of all frequent fliers say they are willing to pay for an in-flight Internet connection, even if their company will not reimburse them.
“We are seeing,” said Addison Schonland, a principal at Innovation Analysis, “that this technology will probably pay for itself faster than anything else on board.”
Why yes it does include china airlines . Guess our new Mandarin overlords have seen the light.
I rarely travel by airplane, about once a year tops, but what’s the problem with America’s airline industry? It seems to be that it’s been in the dumps ever since deregulation.
Are they poorly run? Are foreign airlines heavily subsidized?! Do American’s simply fly less? Some combination?
Fish: Good question. I fly to Asia fairly frequently and could use Northwest all the way, but I’d rather stop at LAX so I can continue on with China or Korean or some other Asian airline simply because they’re superior in every way. And, like you, I’ve often wondered why. I assume they’re subsidized, but I don’t know. Anybody know?