Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines go live with paid Wi-Fi

GX Aviation broadband launch customers Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have completed their 4-month Ka-Band internet trial on short- and medium-haul flights and have transitioned over to a paid service. Passengers traveling on equipped aircraft can access high-speed internet on their mobile devices via 3 packages, priced at E3 (US$3) for messaging (FlyNet Message), E7 for general web browsing (FlyNet Surf) and E12 for video streaming (FlyNet Stream). Ultimately, passengers will also be able to pay for internet access with Air Miles or via roaming partners. “This is a significant milestone for GX Aviation too, which took more than 5 years to develop as the world’s first inflight broadband solution with seamless global coverage delivered through a single operator,” Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale said. <br/>