Advertisement

Lufthansa revives offer of mile-high web surfing and text messaging

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Lufthansa revives offer of mile-high web surfing and text messaging
Photo: DPA

German flag carrier Lufthansa and Japanese electronics giant Panasonic have teamed up to offer passengers wireless Internet on long-haul flights from 2010, the airline announced Monday.

Advertisement

Long-haul business passengers will enjoy services comparable "with those available at powerful hotspots or upmarket hotels," Lufthansa boss Wolfgang Mayrhuber said in a statement.

"The service will gradually become available on all Lufthansa's long-haul flights worldwide," the firm said.

Spokesman Michael Lamberty said prototypes would be tested towards the end of this year, with the aim of rolling out the service on 50 long-haul planes in mid-2010.

Passengers will also be able to send text messages via mobile phone and transfer data via handheld communication devices like Blackberries or iPhones, he added.

While in-flight Internet is fairly common on domestic flights in the United States, it is still comparatively rare for airlines to offer the service on long-haul flights, Lamberty said.

Lufthansa withdrew a similar service at the end of 2006 after it failed to take off.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also