Emirates To Offer World's First Wireless Inflight Laptop Service
In another inflight communications first, Emirates Airline has announced that soon it will offer its passengers the
world's first regular, airborne wireless laptop service, thanks to an agreement signed today with Tenzing Communications
of Seattle, Washington, USA.
The Dubai-based international airline will launch the new feature in the first quarter of this year on board all of its
new Airbus A340-500s. It will be offered alongside the current seatback e-mail and SMS already available on Emirates'
A340-500s, which enable passengers to send out and receive e-mails and SMSs during the flight using an on-screen
keyboard.
Emirates is the launch carrier for the new A340-500 aircraft, which started operating on the between
Dubai-Sydney-Auckland route on December 3.
The new Emirates product is the world's first deployment of Wi-Fi e-mail laptop connectivity in regularly scheduled
commercial aviation.
With the new wireless laptop system, passengers can use their own e-mail accounts, including corporate e-mail, in a
secure environment. The ultra-long-range A340-500 will be the first aircraft to include a wireless LAN certified for
passengers' own Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computers. Dial-up connections to the onboard server also will be available, from
passenger seats.
Maurice Flanagan, Emirates Vice Chairman and Group President said: "The seatback e-mail and SMS products we already
provide are very popular with passengers who are not carrying a laptop. The Tenzing service is targeted at those who do,
including business travellers who like to keep in touch with their regular e-mail accounts on Wi-Fi."
Passenger laptops will require minimal or no configuration to connect to the Tenzing service. Travellers will be able to
choose between hooking up via the RJ11 dial-up method or the simpler 802.11b wireless method. First and Business class
passengers also will be able to connect using a standard RJ45 LAN connector.
Mr. Flanagan added: "Ease of connection is of major importance, and the seats have been equipped with multiple options.
Long term, wireless is the expected norm, but currently most passenger devices only have the regular plug types."
Every Emirates seat in First and Business Class is also equipped with laptop power, using a regular style US socket so
that no special power adapter is required. There are also laptop recharge points in Economy Class.
In-seat satellite telephone also is available to Emirates passengers, with calls costing US$5 per minute to anywhere in
the world. The current charge for use of the seatback e-mail and SMS features already being offered on the A340-500 is
US$1 per message. Usage fees for the new wireless system will be announced closer to launch date.
Alan McGinnis, CEO of Tenzing said: "We are honoured to be working with Emirates, an innovative airline dedicated to
customer service that is at the forefront of inflight communications and entertainment systems."
John Leahy, Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus ? an investor in Tenzing - said: "We're very pleased that Emirates has
decided to launch Tenzing inflight e-mail on its aircraft. This is an excellent example of collaboration between leading
service providers to offer an all-around exceptional passenger experience. Airbus is proud to be associated with it."