Surf the web while flying now with Singapore Airlines

[Guest]

From Planet Holiday

On the move with its "cyber-cabins" project, Singapore Airlines takes another step forward by launching its in-flight entertainment and communication system. The project will include services such as electronic shopping, email and Internet access - during the flight. The service is available on one Singapore Airlines 747-400 aircraft, flying between Singapore and Los Angeles but it will be phased in later across the airlines' B747's and B777's. Also, as part of this S$300 million project will be an audio and video on demand system, which is now in first and business class, that will be extended to economy class in July of this year. Additional features of the "Cyber Cabin":

Additional features of the "Cyber Cabin":

Each plane is equipped with a computer server storing thousands of web sites.

Internet access is limited only to these stored sites.

E-mail messages can be sent and received via satellites.

Each seat comes with its own back-seat 14-inch screen.

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/index.jsp

[OldAsiaHand]

Well, not exactly...

I was recently on the sole aircraft that SQ has equipped to test the system, and the whole thing is pretty shaky. For example, the so-called web browsing capacity is entirely useless. The on-board server caches only eight or ten sites, they're not updated in real time, and they're not even real sites. They're just a few utterly useless screens that have been preloaded on the server and presented in a format that makes them look like actual sites.

The system is primarily promoted for its capacity to send and receive email. To be fair, I had no difficulty in sending email from my laptop, but I was unable to receive any at all, and none of the tech support people who were onboard to monitor the test could figure out how to configure my laptop to accomplish that (although it was an ordinary IBM thinkpad running a plain-vanilla installation of Windows 2000 and Outlook).

And, oh yeah, one more thing. Those 14" screens are only in first class.

[Guest]

They do say in the article, they now have 2,000 sites available that have been downloaded. It will be available for coach also in July. Time will tell...