Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Flying Net access still has glitches.html

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 13:28:48 -0500

02/10/2003 - Updated 08:15 PM ET

Flying Net access still has glitches
By Michelle Kessler, USA TODAY
30,000 FEET ABOVE SAN FRANCISCO — I surfed the Internet from my airline seat, and I loved
it. But I needed a lot of help.

 Jim DeTar of Investor's Business Daily, left, and Harry McCracken of PC World test
wireless Net service.

Last week, I sent e-mail, checked eBay auctions, and even wrote this story while flying in
a Boeing test plane equipped with Internet access for passengers. At least eight major
airlines are testing in-flight Internet or e-mail systems, which they say will be widely
available in 2004.

When it worked, it was great. It let bored passengers get a lot of work done. Eventually,
it could be used to show movies or make cheap in-flight phone calls.

But the service was hard to set up and use, and was easily derailed by computer glitches.
More problems could arise as it and others are geared up for widespread use. That could
deter frequent fliers such as Melbourne, Fla., engineer Richard Dutchik, who has been
eagerly waiting for in-flight Web access but says he won't use it if it's too cumbersome
or expensive.

Airlines are trying at least three systems. Lufthansa, British Airways, Japan Airlines and
Scandinavian Airlines System are testing the Boeing service, called Connexion. It lets
passengers with plugged-in or wirelessly enabled laptops surf the entire Internet. United
Airlines and Continental Airlines are joining with Verizon to offer limited Internet
access to laptops plugged in to seatback phones. Cathay Pacific Airways and Virgin
Atlantic are testing onboard e-mail and messaging services from Seattle start-up Tenzing.
But each system faces challenges such as:

? Slow speeds. The wireless technology Boeing uses has the potential to be as zippy as a
DSL line or cable modem. But on last week's flight, speeds were closer to dial-up Internet
service. Since everybody on a plane shares the same connection, that means "somebody kicks
on streaming video, and service slows to a crawl," says Gartner analyst William Clark.
Verizon updates most of the Web pages it offers every 15 minutes. Tenzing only offers
e-mail and messaging, not Web access. Newer technology could fix the problem, but won't be
ready for some time.

? Technical glitches. Passengers on board the test flight couldn't log on for half an hour
due to computer problems. Once the system was up, it took a technician about 10 minutes of
changing my laptop's settings to get it to recognize the plane's network.
That caused problems once I returned to my office. The changes kept my laptop from
connecting to the Web the way it usually does. It took hours — and the help of a
tech-savvy friend — to fix it.

Similar glitches have also been reported with other systems. The companies say most bugs
will be fixed by next year.
? High cost. While many frequent fliers would like Web access as a free perk, Boeing says
they are likely to pay $25 to $35 for a single leg of an international flight. Domestic
flights would be less.

Verizon's service costs $6 a flight. But passengers can only access a few Web sites chosen
by Verizon. Tenzing charges about $1 for each e-mail sent or received.

Chris Kozup, an analyst for the research firm Meta Group, says $7 to $12 for one day of
unlimited usage is what most passengers will be willing to pay.

? Disconnected systems. Most public Internet access systems are not linked to one another.
That means a business traveler moving through an airport might have to log on separately
to different systems in the terminal, a frequent-flier lounge, a Starbucks and on the
plane. Each system requires a new set-up and fee. Boeing and other Internet providers say
they're working on a solution.

Still, travelers such as Patrick O'Toole say they're excited about on-board Internet.
Cheap, easy-to-use access "would be terrific!" says the Minneapolis consultant.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/2003-02-11-wifi.htm

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