This story appears in the
December 2004 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Flying on a plane used to be one of the few places where you
could disconnect from the world. But with technology pushing its
way onboard, staying in touch with terrestrial matters while flying
at 35,000 feet will soon be routine.
- In-flight cell
phones: Current rules forbid use of mobile phones on
commercial airliners. But earlier this year, American and Frontier
Airlines began testing new systems that let passengers use their
cell phones in-flight. Planes are equipped with a cellular base
station. Onboard calls are routed through this base station, then
linked to the earthbound telephone network via satellite, allowing
passengers to make and receive calls without interfering with the
plane's navigation systems. Testing should last another year or
so.
- In-flight
internet: Lufthansa now offers onboard high-speed internet
access using a system called Connexion by Boeing. Users log on for
$30 per long-haul flight or opt for the metered price of $10 for
the first 30 minutes, then 25 cents per minute thereafter.
(You'll soon find Connexion on All Nippon Airways, Asiana
Airlines, China Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Scandinavian
Airlines and Singapore Airlines.)
- In-flight satellite
TV: Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Song offer the
newest technological killer app: live satellite TV. With each seat
outfitted with a video screen and headset jacks, you can choose
from multiple channels for TV, news, pay-per-view movies, music and
games. Another low-fare carrier, AirTran, is adding live XM
Satellite Radio. Passengers can access 100 channels of live
digital-quality XM Radio, with live news, sports, weather, talk and
music programming.
Chris McGinnis, travel correspondent for CNN Headline
News, is author of The Unofficial Business Travelers' Pocket
Guide. Reach him at .