Boeing shows Web service in China
Keith Wallis
Boeing will brief executives from China Southern and Air China over the next two days on its high-speed, in-flight Internet service as part of an Asian demonstration tour to promote its Connexion by Boeing data transfer facility.
The campaign comes just weeks before German airline Lufthansa commercially launches the system on a passenger route from Munich. Connexion by Boeing spokesman Terrance Scott said Lufthansa has yet to announce the destination served by the first six Connexion-connected aircraft which will start operating at the end of this month or early next. This follows the completion of installation work on the first aircraft, ironically an Airbus A340-300, in February. A340s operate routes to Hong Kong, Shanghai, the United States, Africa and the Middle East.
Connexion by Boeing is seen as a rival to the inflight email service provided by Tenzing Communications, whose investors include Cathay Pacific Airways and European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
Speaking during a stopover in Hong Kong yesterday, Scott said Boeing's special promotional aircraft, a Boeing 737-400, will visit Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Fellow Boeing spokesman Mark Hooper confirmed the service will be shown to China Southern, Air China and the China National Aviation Corporation. The aircraft will then fly to Seoul and Tokyo before returning to the US. Japan Airlines has already signed a customer agreement, while rival Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airlines, together with Singapore Airlines have signed provisional agreements.
Connexion by Boeing promoted the system to China Airlines in Taipei on Tuesday. The Taiwanese carrier inked a letter of intent in January to install the system on its long-haul fleet of Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. Scott said agreements with a further 14 airlines are being actively pursued. He added: ``It's not a question of if the system comes to Hong Kong, but when.''
Unlike the Tenzing system, Connexion by Boeing offers a high-speed Internet connection via laptop that allows passengers to send and receive email, streaming video and audio and unfiltered Web access including office email networks.
At about US$30 (HK$235) for unlimited use on long-haul flights, the Boeing system is about 50 per cent more expensive than Tenzing. While the Tenzing email service is installed using additional software or extra wiring to onboard communications systems, the Boeing equipment needs aircraft modifications including installation of an exterior antenna.
Scott said that while the live Internet link widens the choice for passengers, the main benefit for airlines is the system's wireless data monitoring communications between the ground and the cockpit. This will allow ground-based personnel to check the performance of a plane's engines and other systems and enable pilots to replace paper maps of airports and flight routes with a so-called electronic flight bag. This will be updated automatically in mid-air, advising aircrew of the latest flying and airport conditions en-route.
Scott declined to give details about the cost of installing the system, saying it depended on the type of installation and the number and type of planes in an airline's fleet. But he said the cost of Connexion by Boeing ``is significantly less than what airlines are spending now'' to install traditional inflight entertainment systems.
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