 On a recent flight back from Sweden as I tried to get comfortable in my confined area, I realized that transatlantic air travel hasn’t changed much in the last thirty years. It still takes about 8 hours to fly from Stockholm to Chicago.
The seating is still cramped and uncomfortable. The food is terrible. Yet for the first time my travel was a bit less tiresome. The SAS flight I was on had Connexion Internet service and I had a trusty Dell laptop. Imagine that! Traveling at 540 miles per hour at an altitude of 38,000 feet, I was able to quickly and easily hook my laptop to the Internet. I clicked on the Wireless Network icon on the Taskbar of my Windows desktop. My computer found the Connexion network automatically and I clicked on “Connect” and opened my Web browser. I was taken to an SAS Net access page which explained the options and cost. I entered my name and credit card number into the Connexion secure Web page and less than a minute later I was surfing the Web in the sky. The charge was reasonable. $9.95for an hour, $14.95 for 2 hours, $17.95 for 3 hours, and $26.95 for the entire 8 hour flight. I opted for the 3-hour signup since my laptop battery only lasts about 4 hours. In business class and Economy Plus SAS has in-seat electrical hook-ups, but this trip had me in the non-electrical economy class seating. The Connexion service is provided by Boeing and uses satellites to provide Internet access. Many International carriers like Korean Air, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines are already offering the Connexion “Internet in the Air” service. Some airlines are also experimenting with using ground-based towers for Internet service in the air. United Airlines has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2005 to install wireless networking equipment on some of its Boeing 757’s, but implementation has not yet been completed. In a recent Federal Communication Commission auction of air-to-ground airwaves, there was active bidding. Analysts speculate that service of this type could be available by next summer. I thoroughly enjoyed my few hours of Web surfing. I started off sending some email, then I checked the current news. I even did a little shopping. Oh, and I did some work, as well. Although the connection was not the speediest I’ve ever encountered, it was certainly adequate for all my needs. The service even allowed me to watch some global television stations like BBC, CNBC, and MSNBC over the Internet. Using the Slingbox connection that I wrote about in a previous column, I was even able to watch my home television right in the comfort of my own seat. Oh well, make that “discomfort”. As I said earlier, the seats are still cramped and uncomfortable, but at least now I had something to occupy me and to actually be a little productive during the long flight.
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