ETIHAD AIRWAYS TO OFFER ONBOARD WIRELESS INTERNET BY END 2011
Etihad Airways to offer onboard wireless internet by end 2011 - Luxury Travel Magazine
| Date: 7 October 2011 |
| Etihad Airways has announced plans to provide onboard wireless internet to customers on flights to Europe, starting with two aircraft by December this year, and five by March 2012. Three of the aircraft, A330-300s, will operate between Abu Dhabi and European cities like Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Munich and Paris. Etihad CEO James Hogan commented at the World Broadband Forum in Paris, noting the caution required when investing in technology: “Perhaps the biggest challenge is to stay in synch on this incredibly fast and exciting journey into the future. Annually, airlines invest billions in aircraft and millions in in-flight entertainment and other trappings, years before the aircraft enter service. Changes in technology move at the speed of light... There is an ever present danger of investing heavily in a system or hardware that is likely to be obsolete by the time it rolls off the production line.” Hogan further commented that “We are right at the point now of settling on a fleet-wide connectivity solution for the years to come.” |