January 11, 2017 TnH Global

Lufthansa to roll out Wi-Fi on short-haul flights

Send emails from a height of 32,808 feet, shop online while soaring over the Alps, stream videos above the clouds – and all of that with broadband quality.

Soon, passengers of Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines will be able to go online on shorter journeys too – as they have already been able to do for quite some time on long haul flights. Last summer, Lufthansa received the so-called Supplemental Type Certificate for the Airbus fleet A320 from the European Aviation Safety Agency, and successfully concluded all the necessary preparation work.

Now, the next stage of testing on Lufthansa and Austrian routes will begin, initially involving five aircraft in each case. Passengers who fly on these aircraft will be offered free Internet use during this test phase. The analysis of the user behaviour will provide the data necessary to further enhance the service ahead of its market launch.

Harry Hohmeister, member of the board of directors of Deutsche Lufthansa and responsible for hub management, said: “I am pleased that we can soon offer broadband Internet to our passengers on inner-European flights, giving them the chance to have a seamless digital experience.

“Since the launch of Lufthansa Flynet, it has been our goal to offer added value on board to our customers through innovation – and that also includes our Internet provision.”

In the first quarter of 2017, the number of Lufthansa aircraft outfitted with Internet access will increase to approximately 20. One by one, the entire Lufthansa A320 fleet is to be equipped with the latest advanced technology by mid-2018. The re-fitting of all 31 aircraft at Austrian Airlines is planned to be completed before the end of April 2017.

As well as Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, Eurowings also has plans to bring the Internet on board its aircraft – estimated launch is aimed toward the end of the first quarter 2017. A total of 69 Eurowings aircraft are to be fitted with the systems by the summer of 2017. Lufthansa passengers can gain Wi-Fi access to the Internet using their own mobile devices.

The Internet service of Lufthansa Airlines and their technology partner, Inmarsat, uses the latest broadband satellite technology (Ka-band) and provides seamless, reliable coverage on short haul and mid-range flights via the Inmarsat network Global Xpress.

Inmarsat partner Deutsche Telekom will be the Internet Service Provider for Lufthansa passengers.

News Source: www.breakingtravelnews.com