Solutions: Internet Access Over Airline

Boeing bravely made an early entrance into the industry, offering full internet access via their “Connexion by Boeing” (CBB) service. This service remains the only one to offer full wireless connectivity to laptops, with recorded speeds of up to 4Mbit downstream/1MBit upstream. In addition, to web services, VPN connections are also supported, as well as other non-port 80 traffic. There are currently more than 180 flights daily that provide this service. Uptake with airlines, however, was not overwhelming – perhaps due to the $500,000 cost of fitting each airplane – and the 17th of August 2006 saw Boeing announce that it would be discontinuing the service.

Its inclusion in this guide, however, is still essential. Why? Because the service will be free on those airlines that provided it to their passengers until the end of 2006, and thereafter it seems more than likely that these companies will amongst the first to adopt and work with whatever technologies arise as replacements. Panasonic, for example, were recently reported to be interested in the business. As Lufthansa, the first airline to feature CBB under their "FlyNet" brand puts it in their press release:

Up to now, Connexion by Boeing has been the only supplier for broadband Internet use aboard aircraft. Due to the new situation, the market is currently restructuring itself. In the interest of its passengers, Lufthansa hopes to be able to continue to offer FlyNet® in future and, therefore, is conducting intensive discussions with Boeing as well as several other potential providers.

Find below, therefore, a list of the current providers for CBB connections. At the start of 2006, the prices were set at $9.95 for 1 hour, $14.95 for 2 hours, $17.95 for 3 hours and $26.95 for 24 hours, including connecting flights. From 3rd of October until the termination of the service on the 31st of December, however, CBB will be free. Credit Card numbers will still be taken for authentication purposes, but not charged. Please note also, that all of these services may be subject to last-minute changes in aircraft, as well as technical difficulties/planned downtime with CBB.

Oz airline drops live Internet access offer over porn fears?

Sydney, September 17 : Russian airline Qantas had dropped its plan to offer live Internet access on its A380 planes from next month.

The airline's decision comes in the wake of a controversy over the surfing of porn websites by American Airlines' passengers.

Qantas has now planned to offer only a limited selection of "cached internet content", and access to web-based email and chat services.

The airline has refused to give further details of what content will be included other than qantas.com, or how much the service would cost.

A spokeswoman for Qantas said that the internet plans have been hit by "logistical and regulatory issues" encountered by its connectivity provider, OnAir.

She said that the full web service would be available "later in 2009".

"No airline operating the A380 currently offers a full internet service," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted her as saying.

The A380's inflight entertainment system, however, will still offer 100 movies, 500 television show episodes, 1000 audio CDs, 20 radio channels, and 80 games.

Laptop power sockets will also be provided for every passenger.

Typical Low-cost Carrier Business Model

Typical low-cost carrier business model practices often include:

• a single passenger class
• a single type of aeroplane (commonly the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737), reducing training and servicing costs
• a minimum set of optional equipment on the aeroplane, often excluding conveniences such as ACARS, further reducing costs of acquisition and maintenance
• a simple fare scheme, such as charging one-way tickets half that of round-trips (typically fares increase as the plane fills up, which rewards early reservations)
• unreserved seating (encouraging passengers to board early and quickly)
• flying to cheaper, less congested secondary airports^[1] and flying early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid air traffic delays and take advantage of lower landing fees
• fast turnaround times (allowing maximum use of aircraft)
• simplified routes, emphasizing point-to-point transit instead of transfers at hubs (again enhancing aircraft use and eliminating disruption due to delayed passengers or luggage missing connecting flights)
• encourage the use of direct flights. Luggage is not automatically transferred from one flight to another, even if both flights are with the same company.
• generation of ancillary revenue from a variety of activities, such as a la carte features and commission-based products
• emphasis on direct sales of tickets, especially over the Internet (avoiding fees and commissions paid to travel agents and computer reservations systems)
• employees working in multiple roles, for instance flight attendants also cleaning the aircraft or working as gate agents (limiting personnel costs)
• a disinclination to handle Special Service passengers, for instance by placing a higher age limit on unaccompanied minors than full service carriers
• Aggressive fuel hedging programs

Not every low-cost carrier implements all of the above points. For example, some try to differentiate themselves with allocated seating, while others operate more than one aircraft type, still others will have relatively high operating costs but lower fares.

The price policy of the low cost carriers is usually very dynamic, with discounts and tickets in promotion. Even if the advertised price may be very low, sometimes it does not include charges & taxes.

Low-cost Airline

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (also known as a no-frills or discount carrier or airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a lower operating cost structure than their competitors. While the term is often applied to any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services, regardless of their operating models, low-cost carriers should not be confused with regional airlines that operate short flights without service, or with full-service airlines offering some reduced fares.