Daily Record, The (Baltimore): Commentary: Tech Talk: August 10, 2007

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Commentary: Tech Talk: August 10, 2007

Larry Fiorino

Internet access has slowly crept into every aspect of our lives, from our homes and offices, to even the coffee shop on the corner, or the McDonald's downtown.

In 2008, business travelers will have a new way to access their favorite information superhighway.

American Airlines, owned by AMR Corp., is preparing to become the first U.S. carrier to offer Internet access to passengers aboard its Boeing 767 aircraft.

The innovative new service will be made possible through a partnership with the aviation communication company AirCell.

American Airlines has sought to offer this service due to the high demand for Internet access from their business traveling customers. As a result, the airline hopes to attract more business fliers who seek the convenience of being connected to the Internet during a flight.

AirCell will equip the planes with three antennas designed to connect with cellular towers across the U.S. With the powerful technology at work, users can expect to receive 802.11a/b/g WiFi signals.

Once aboard an equipped American Airlines plane, passengers will be able to access a virtual private network (VPN) and e-mail or surf the Internet from their WiFi enabled laptops, PDAs and handheld devices.

The price for on-board Internet access has yet to be released, but AirCell estimates the airline will be able to offer the service for about $10 per flight.

Although this is the first known on-board Internet service for American Airlines, Deutsche Lufthansa attempted to offer service to their passengers beginning in 2003. However, in 2006 Lufthansa's service ended after the Boeing-driven Connexion service was shut down due to economic reasons.

After its first attempt, Lufthansa along with other American companies, including Southwest, are also seeking to add Internet access to their fleets in 2008.

With on-board Internet, airline passengers will have access to high-speed connections and travel will no longer be a drag.

(Larry Fiorino, the founder and chief executive of G.1440, a Baltimore-based e-solutions firm, writes every week for The Daily Record. He can be reached at 410-843-3800.)