Enjoy Mobile Broadband Internet In-Flight with Boeing Conexion

Imagine you’re a business person on a long flight to Chicago, and you need to check e-mail and plan the next day’s activities. Or perhaps you’re a leisure traveler on your way to Hawaii, and you want to make the most out of your five-hour flight by updating your vacation activities and researching new things to do. Up until a couple of years ago, both of these passengers would have to be content with having to wait until they were on the ground to access the Internet – but no more! Now, some airlines are offering in-flight mobile broadband connections that allow all passengers on a flight to connect to the Internet to check e-mail, make reservations, conduct research – everything they would be able to do with an Internet connection on the ground.

Connexion by Boeing

Connexion by Boeing debuted in 2004. It is a commercial and consumer airline service that provides high-speed mobile broadband connections to airline passengers.

Mobile Broadband - How Connexion is Used

In order to use this exciting mobile broadband service, passengers need only to have a laptop or LAN-enabled PDA and a wireless connection or Ethernet cable. All users have to do is turn on their devices, launch an Internet browser, and then proceed to the one-time registration and subscription pages they will automatically be diverted to.

Mobile Broadband - Where Connexion is Offered  

Though not yet widely used in the United States, commercial airline service with Connexion is available on select flights between Germany, North America and Japan. Connexion plans to expand service to All-Nippon Airways, Japan Airways, SAS and perhaps more in the future. Larger-sized business jets also have access to the service, and smaller-sized business jets should offer the service in the near future.

Mobile Broadband - How Many People Can Use It On the Flight?

All passengers on the aircraft can use this mobile broadband service. There are no restrictions as to the number of people who can use the service.

Mobile Broadband - How Much Does the Service Cost?

Exact prices are difficult to come by, but Connexion advertises that the service is comparable to what passengers would have to pay on the ground for Internet access.

Connexion is just one of a few companies that are investigating new and better ways to bring mobile broadband services to airline passengers. Before long, airline passengers will no longer have to worry about not being able to access their e-mail during long flights, and travelers can chose to put off their vacation planning until they’re in the air! Mobile broadband is helping the skies become even friendlier.