Lufthansa Resurrects Their 'FlyNet' For Long-Haul In-Flight WiFi

October 13, 2009 at 8:48 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

With the proliferation of In-Flight WiFi on domestic routes in the United States, we always hoped that long-haul WiFi was right around the corner. In fact it's in the past, with FlyNet from Lufthansa, which was a broadband internet connection on 66 of 82 long-haul planes that functioned between 2004 and 2006. Lufthansa suspended the service—provided by Connexion by Boeing—at the end of 2006 with a promise that it would return one day.

That day is coming in mid-2010 when FlyNet relaunches better than ever, with a partner in Panasonic and the new ability for connection with GSM/GPRS units so that you will even be able to text on your phone from 35,000=feet up. Although there's no word yet on pricing, Lufthansa does plan to outfit a majority of their long-haul aircraft once again, and be the leader in this second chapter of in-flight wifi.

So how great will the connection be?

According to Lufthansa's official press release on the FlyNet relaunch, they won't be going about this in a lazy manner; they mean business:

'In terms of personal communications, Lufthansa customers can look forward to superior inflight service,' said Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber. 'On long-haul routes, we offer business travellers, in particular, a range of communication options on par with those available at land-based hotspots or premium hotels....' Lufthansa is focusing on providing high bandwidth, which is essential for unrestricted web surfing, email/file transfer including attachments, and the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In addition, this quality bandwidth will enhance the possibility of additional operational applications such as telemedicine, in which a patient�s vitals can be quickly transmitted to a ground station.

See! The internet isn't just for overworking yourself or killing time; it's for saving passengers during emergencies on board. Still though, we'd prefer to spend our Lufthansa long-haul flight doing one of the first two. Rest assured that we'll keep our ears open for more news on FlyNet as they work on rolling it out for next year.

Related Stories:
· FlyNet Takes Off Again [Press Release]
· Lufthansa news [Jaunted]

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