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Bummer
One of the best experiences I have ever had on an airplane was last winter's flight to tokyo where I had a wifi internet connection all the way to tokyo
It cost me $27 for the entire flight and it was worth twice that price
Well today I read that boeing is going to discontinue the connexion service that I used on that flight to tokyo
That is a bummer because it was an amazing service. Apparently not many people used it.
I find that shocking and have no idea why people wouldn't want to take advantage of such a great service
I did read that airbus is going ahead with its internet service so maybe boeing's loss will be airbus' gain
Won't be the first time.
Comments (8) | Posted August 18, 2006 in Venture Capital and Technology
Comments
Agreed, my experience matches yours. Let's add several factors to the discussion:
1. Timing is obvious: Following the past week's events, Boeing clearly -- and correctly -- perceives a threshold risk that all laptops and similar devices will be banned from carry-on, obviating their investment.
2. Power ports: Net access is necessary but not sufficient condition for success. Access to AC/DC power is a need for networking and the likelihood of adding power to all coach seats is low, lowering the number of users.
Posted by: Jim Griffin | Aug 18, 2006 12:50:59 PM
I think the problem was that crew onboard did not advertise it. They were unsure how to support or use it and could not be bothered. The two flights I had to Singapore I had to ask 4 times before someone came and setup the connection and that was in biz class. No idea what happens in cattle class. Packet loss was a problem, but for email, rss and light browsing it was great and well worth the price. They just should have made it easier to setup once sat in your seat. A bit like when you check into a hotel and the first think you find after the minibar :-)
Posted by: Paul | Aug 18, 2006 12:54:49 PM
We are all duly impressed you wouldn't have any idea what happens in "cattle class".
Posted by: michael | Aug 18, 2006 1:21:39 PM
I'm kind of with what Robert Scoble wrote yesterday about the service. At $27, it definitely seems suited for early adopters, rather than mainstream. More importantly, personally I cherish being off grid - no cell, no computer, no way in the world to reach me - once in a while.
Robert says he was surprised too: "But, I was talking with some of Microsoft’s Dynamics managers and employees a few months back. That team does a LOT of travel back to Copenhagen. You’d think they would be very active users of the wifi. I was suprised to learn that they enjoyed the 10 hours “off the grid” where their employees and managers couldn’t talk with them."
Link: http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/08/17/why-did-boeings-wifi-service-die/
Posted by: Evelyn Rodriguez | Aug 18, 2006 5:11:05 PM
If you are travelling in any of the hundreds of seats on an international flight that don't have a power outlet, $27 is pretty steep for the 3-6 hours you'll get in battery life from an extended battery or under 3 hours from a "normal" battery.
If they really wanted it to survive, $5 more per ticket for all takers would have covered the costs more effectively - most people would be off the grid when their battery dies, those limited few in the more expensive seats already paid a premium to have an outlet and can keep browsing.
Posted by: Jake Ludington | Aug 18, 2006 9:29:31 PM
27
Posted by: Charlie Crystle | Aug 19, 2006 2:47:23 AM
More importantly... now that you arent allowed to travel with a laptop anymore, what's the utility of this service? What they should give us now is a great browsing/email service embedded in the seat... would beat the dull movies and games they provided now with inflight entertainment.
Posted by: Giordano | Aug 19, 2006 12:53:28 PM
I don't think SAS was using Conneexxttioonn (spelling?) so as long as the laptop quarantine ends, they should still offer it on Flights to Europe.
Posted by: Rick | Aug 21, 2006 12:25:25 AM
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