Everything I see so far from airfi is all on board the aircraft or back and forth from the satellites to the aircraft. IPTK has built out the ground network allowing communication to the ground and therefore connections for credit card authorization, text messaging and email. From that article:
"Used aboard easyJet’s aircraft, the AirFi Box will allow passengers to connect to and browse the onboard shop menu. It will allow passengers to access flight and safety information plus free-of-charge destination content, the inflight magazine and a selection of games. Initially, passengers flying on the easyJet’s fleet of 27 A320 family aircraft from Geneva and Basel will be able to use laptops, tablets and wifi-enabled phones to connect to the local wifi network created by the AirFi boxes"
Emphasis is mine.
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