Wi-Fi Net access could soon land on United flights
By Roger Yu
Passengers on United Airlines domestic flights could be surfing the Internet as early as next summer. United
saidMonday that it received regulatory approval to be the first U.S. airline to install cabin equipment for Wi-Fi
Internet service. Dennis Cary, a United marketing executive, said the airline hopes eventually to install the
service on its international flights. Pricing for access is "still being worked out," he said. In bankruptcy-court
protection since December 2002, United hopes the service will generate profit and attract more passengers.
Wireless Internet access has been available since last year at some foreign airlines, which have used
satellites to beam transmission. Lufthansa, for example, charges a flat fee of $29.95 a flight or $9.95 a
half-hour. Some domestic airlines are looking into adopting a similar technology, said Terrance Scott, a
spokesman for Connexion, a Boeing unit that provides the Lufthansa service. United is pursuing another
method, called "air-to-ground" technology, requiring airplanes to be equipped with a device that receives
transmissions from cell towers on the ground. For airlines to do this, the Federal Communications
Commission first must auction off the air-to-ground spectrum to wireless carriers. It remains unclear whether
the FCC's auction, scheduled for later this year, would award the spectrum to just one wireless company or to
multiple carriers. United has been working with Verizon Airfone, a likely bidder, to gear up for the Wi-Fi service.
Its recent approval from the Federal Aviation Administration — for now, applying only to its B757-200 aircraft —
was granted after the two companies demonstrated that the use of the Wi-Fi technology within the cabin
doesn't affect the aircraft's operation. United plans to eventually install the service in its entire fleet, Cary said.
One of the key obstacles for U.S. airlines in offering the service has been the upfront cost. "This isn't chump
change," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel research analyst at Forrester Research. "With 400 aircraft, (United is)
still looking at millions in outlay." United's Cary declined to say how much the company is spending on the
project but said it already has an air-phone service that uses similar air-to-ground technology. The airline will
need only "very minor configuration" for the Internet service, he said. The demand for in-flight Internet access
could be huge. In research done by Forrester, 38% of frequent business travelers it surveyed said they would
use the service even at $25 a flight, Harteveldt said. Foreign airlines that offer the service are experiencing high
usage rates, he said. Harteveldt said United's targeted rollout date is reasonable, and the airline may even beat
the time frame if it can successfully exit Chapter 11. The service could help the airline increase its market share
in the short term if competitors don't follow up, he said.
Which airline has the best Web site?
It's no definitive answer, but it's a question that The Washington Post (free registration) tries
to answer by analyzing the Web sites of five of the top carriers (United, US Airways, Delta,
American and Southwest) serving the D.C. area. The Post gave those airlines a report card,
complete with high-school-style letter grades. Southwest earned the top overall grade with an A-.
The paper writes that the airline's Web site "clearly shows when you're not getting the cheapest
fare available" and says "there's nothing complex about it. Even the computer neophyte can
figure it out." Following Southwest were American (B+), United (B), US Airways (B-) and
Delta (C+). Among other major carriers whose sites weren't rated were Northwest, Continental,
AirTran, JetBlue and America West.
Puke skywalkers can rest queasy on Virgin Atlantic
By Kitty Bean Yancey,
Introducing Barf Vader.
The airline that never misses a gimmick is striking back with another one: Star Wars-themed airsickness
bags. This month, Virgin Atlantic will stock flights with 100,000 bags to appeal to fans of the hit movie series.
One design demonstrates how to hold a lightsaber; another spells out the rules of Jedi combat. But trust
Virgin chief Richard Branson, who previously introduced flying beds and on-board masseuses — to give
the allusion to airsickness a positive PR spin. "Of course, we hope that our flights are as smooth as normal
so that passengers don't need to use the sickbags. We want them to see the funny side ... not the inside."
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