News: American Airlines Getting Ready For In-Flight Internet Access

American Airlines has installed its first Aircell wireless Internet system. They are planning to do testing on a total of 15 of their 767-200 aircraft. American will be the first carrier to offer broadband service in-flight, although other carriers have announced similar tests for this year.

Pricing is still being finalized. But a spokeswoman for Aircell said access during trips over three hours long would cost travelers around $12.95; shorter flights would cost around $10. They are also working on daily, monthly and yearly subscriptions for frequent travelers.

The Aircell system American is installing requires two small antennas on the belly of the plane, plus a few pieces of equipment that can add about 125 pounds to the planes weight. The three access points are tucked behind the overhead bins and allow 256 users at a time. Aircell's affordability is based in part on the fact that it uses equipment similar to Wi-Fi hotspots, but modified for air travel, rather than new technology.

The system, which sends data to a network of towers on the ground, will be compatible with most wireless-enabled devices. Users will be able to access secured corporate sites, shop online and even download entertainment. The system will not allow passengers to make calls with their laptops or wireless devices using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).

Source Non-Mobile: http://www.airportbusiness.com/online/...

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