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Cell phones
In an effort to make air travel even more miserable - the cell phone.
LE BOURGET, France - Boeing Co. unit Connexion expects to start selling cellular phone services to airline passengers as early as next year, its president said on Thursday, despite opposition from the flying public.
U.S. passengers overwhelmingly oppose lifting the ban, according to an April poll by the National Consumers League and a flight attendants’ union.
But Koellner said she expected some kind of compromise solution that would either mandate certain quiet periods on flights or create quiet zones, with the first being the most likely solution.
While Connexion is by far the dominant player in providing in-flight broadband access, it would face more competition in the area of cellular service. Privately-held AirCell, based on Colorado, is developing an in-flight cellular network, as is Geneva-based OnAir, whose investors include Boeing archrival Airbus.
The broadband access service will be installed on 120 passenger jets by year-end, up from 64 now, Koellner said. There are some 12,000 commercial airliners in service worldwide, of which 8,000 would be suitable for the service, Boeing estimates.
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