As we move to be ever connected in the air with WiFi, some airlines are looking again at mobile communications in the air.
Lufthansa is working with Aeromobile to install a system to allow passengers to connect their mobile phones on a roaming basis to Aeromobile’s network aboard the plane, and connect out from there.
The service branded Lufthansa FlyNet has been in use aboard eight planes (Munich based Airbus A330s) to allow testing before a roll-out to the rest of the long haul fleet (approximately 100 aircraft)
The in-flight mobile phone system will allow text messaging and data – but not voice functionality.
Aeromobile’s Kevin Robert gushes about it stating:
“It’s great news that Lufthansa will be rolling out AeroMobile connectivity on their entire fleet this year; we know that passengers are keen to keep their mobile phones on inflight and Lufthansa clearly recognises the value of offering this service.
The service will give travellers the flexibility to use their mobile devices as much or as little as they like during a flight, whether it’s to send an SMS to a loved one, keep on top of emails or update their Facebook status”
Before you get too excited there are of course a few drawbacks. Apart from the limited distribution on planes, it is a GSM based service (no speed specified, although I would assume EDGE at a guess and 3G if you’re lucky).
Aeromobile has 240 roaming agreements with mobile communication networks, with examples such as
- US Networks: T-Mobile US, AT&T, Verizon
- Germany: e-Plus, O2 Germany, T-Mobile and Vodafone
- UK: EE, O2, Vodafone and Three
Additionally, this is going to cost as it falls into “Rest of the World” roaming charges. This is very important as your provider could well milk you for the privilege of a few megabytes of data (especially on data-hungry devices like iPhones), as well as the charges that text message that you could be charged for when roaming.
Aeromobile’s product is also on Aer Lingus, Air France, Emirates, Etihad, KLM SAS, Transaero, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
It’s a useful tool to use when on the road, but watch those E-mails, Facebook posts, Tweets and Text Messages. They could cost more than you want.
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