Airlines Prepare
Cabin Hotspots
BlackBerrying, Web Surfing
Expected Aloft Within a Year;
Cellphone Service May Follow
April 3, 2007

The days when airplanes offer a hiatus from being connected to the office are numbered.

After years of discussion and delay, U.S. airlines will start offering in-flight Internet connections, instant messaging and wireless email within 12 months, turning the cabin into a WiFi "hotspot." Carriers are expected to start making announcements around the end of the summer, with service beginning early next year.

Like it or not, airborne cellphone chatter still has a flying chance in U.S. airplane cabins, as well, despite a recent indication that the Federal Communications Commission will keep a ban in place.
THE MIDDLE SEAT
 

The FCC has already auctioned off radio spectrum for cellphone use on airplanes, and telecommunications companies partnering with airlines have successfully tested several systems. But no company made a firm proposal. Facing high costs and opposition from fliers, U.S. airline customers weren't interested. Yet with airlines in Europe and the Middle East to begin offering cellphone service aboard airplanes later this year, that could change.

If the technology proves safe, popular and profitable, U.S. airlines and telecommunications companies may be more interested, under pressure to keep up competitively. In-flight phone calls may not be as popular as lie-flat beds in business class, an innovation that started in Europe and spread, but air travel is a copycat business. Success in Europe could prompt action in the U.S., and bring the FCC back to possibly dropping its ban.

"The likelihood of cellphone service on airplanes coming into play is still very high," said Jack Blumenstein, chief executive of AirCell Inc., a major player in airplane cabin communications.

That may not be what road warriors want to hear as they dread listening to a blathering seatmate.