The airlines and their internet service can go directly to hell

after being nickeled and dimed to death by charges on even the smallest services, the airlines now want to hit us up to pay for wireless internet services on flights... boeing did this a few years ago with lufthansa as its first (and only, as it turned out) customer, and boeing ended up dropping the service over a year ago (see below)... i used it myself on lufthansa transatlantic flights and my principle complaints were, 1) too expensive, and 2) no surprise to anyone, it's almost impossible to work on your computer with the space available on a seat-back tray table, and, when the passenger in front of you reclines their seat, it's absolutely impossible because your screen is pushed into such an angle that you can't even see it...

US airlines, racing to bring the Internet to domestic skies, hope that it will generate not only buzz but revenues.

"If they can charge for it they will. They're looking at every revenue source they can," Terry Trippler, travel expert at TripplerTravel, said on Thursday.

American Airlines says it will be the first major US carrier to feature in-flight Internet access.

The No. 1 US carrier said it will test AirCell's broadband Internet service next year on 15 planes that usually fly transcontinental routes. AirCell Chief Executive Jack Blumenstein said the company can offer Internet access for about USD$10 per user.

"This is rapidly going to proliferate across all commercial aviation," he said.

The airline industry, battered by low-fare competition and rising costs, has derived some stability from a strategy that unbundles products and services that once were included in the price of a ticket.

[...]

Boeing last year was forced to abandoned its Internet foray dubbed Connexion because it failed to attract enough customers.

Trippler said the interest in Internet access is part of a plan for airlines to collect fees anywhere they can and to offer services that spur customer loyalty.

i say, screw 'em...

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