Lufthansa to relaunch onboard wireless services
Airline to enable in-flight Internet access, text services but not voice.
German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG Monday announced plans to relaunch wireless communications services on long-haul flights from the middle of 2010.
The offerings will include wireless Internet access as well as text messaging and data transfer via cell phones and smart phones, the company said at a press conference at its head office in Frankfurt. Phone calls will be excluded due to passenger convenience, the company said. The announcement came about three years after Lufthansa had to stop a similar offering that was based on technology offered by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing Co.
Lufthansa said it would offer the new wireless communications services in partnership with Japanese electronics company Panasonic Corp.
Paul Margis, chief executive of Panasonic Avionics Corp., said the partnership with Lufthansa is currently an exclusive one, but added that other airlines will likely seek to follow Lufthansa's wireless push once they see the German airline pushing ahead with the offering.
Chief Executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber said the new services will be introduced at a "major part" of Lufthansa's long-range fleet within the first year of operation. He said that the German flag carrier plans to initially equip 50 aircraft with the new communications offerings, adding that it would be a matter of "one to two years" until the entire long-haul fleet of its core Lufthansa passenger airlines fleet will offer the services. Mayrhuber declined to comment on the investment the company will have to make to offer the wireless communications services.
He also didn't say how much Lufthansa would charge its customers for the wireless Internet, data and messaging services, saying that a decision about prices hasn't yet been made.
Mayrhuber added, however, that prices for customers would be similar to the prices charged in the cooperation with Boeing three years ago. At that time, the company charged customers $9.95 an hour for wireless Internet access.
The company will also offer flat rate tariffs for wireless services, Mayrhuber said.
Passengers will be billed via their cell phone service providers or credit cards. Alternatively, frequent fliers can redeem miles collected in the company's Miles & More program.
German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG Monday announced plans to relaunch wireless communications services on long-haul flights from the middle of 2010.
The offerings will include wireless Internet access as well as text messaging and data transfer via cell phones and smart phones, the company said at a press conference at its head office in Frankfurt. Phone calls will be excluded due to passenger convenience, the company said. The announcement came about three years after Lufthansa had to stop a similar offering that was based on technology offered by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing Co.
Lufthansa said it would offer the new wireless communications services in partnership with Japanese electronics company Panasonic Corp.
Paul Margis, chief executive of Panasonic Avionics Corp., said the partnership with Lufthansa is currently an exclusive one, but added that other airlines will likely seek to follow Lufthansa's wireless push once they see the German airline pushing ahead with the offering.
Chief Executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber said the new services will be introduced at a "major part" of Lufthansa's long-range fleet within the first year of operation. He said that the German flag carrier plans to initially equip 50 aircraft with the new communications offerings, adding that it would be a matter of "one to two years" until the entire long-haul fleet of its core Lufthansa passenger airlines fleet will offer the services. Mayrhuber declined to comment on the investment the company will have to make to offer the wireless communications services.
He also didn't say how much Lufthansa would charge its customers for the wireless Internet, data and messaging services, saying that a decision about prices hasn't yet been made.
Mayrhuber added, however, that prices for customers would be similar to the prices charged in the cooperation with Boeing three years ago. At that time, the company charged customers $9.95 an hour for wireless Internet access.
The company will also offer flat rate tariffs for wireless services, Mayrhuber said.
Passengers will be billed via their cell phone service providers or credit cards. Alternatively, frequent fliers can redeem miles collected in the company's Miles & More program.
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