Lufthansa passengers traveling on long-haul flights once again can use the Internet. With its partners Panasonic Avionics Corp. and Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa will be the first airline to offer broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes. The service, which will initially be provided on selected North Atlantic routes, will be available on nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011.
In-flight Internet access will be available for free on FlyNet-equipped aircraft until Jan. 31. After that, the price for one hour’s online access is 10.95 euros or 3,500 miles, while the 24-hour flat rate is 19.95 euros or 7,000 miles. Under the 24-hour flat rate agreement, passengers can access the Internet on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges.
The fast in-flight Internet service gives passengers with a WLAN-enabled laptop or Smart Phone unlimited online access. Because of the high bandwidth, Lufthansa said emails—including those with large file attachments—can be sent and received without any time delay. Business travelers can also access their company’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). In the spring, in-flight data communication should also be possible using the mobile phone standards GSM and GPRS. In addition to the wireless Internet (WLAN) service, Lufthansa customers will then be able to use their mobile phones to send and receive SMS text messages and transfer data with phones such as the iPhone or PDAs such as BlackBerry.
Lufthansa first introduced broadband Internet in-flight in January 2003. From May 2004 until the end of 2006, when Lufthansa’s then-partner Connexion by Boeing discontinued the service, wireless broadband Internet grew in popularity. The technology also proved very reliable. By the end of 2006, some 69 of Lufthansa’s long-range aircraft were equipped with FlyNet, making the Lufthansa fleet the largest Internet-enabled long-haul fleet in the world, with about 30,000 users per month. For more information, visit www.lufthansa.com.
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