Air France and KLM have today introduced wifi and mobile connectivity aboard select flights.
The service is being trialled throughout the rest of 2013, intially on two Boeing 777-300 services - an Air France flight from Paris Charles De Gaulle to New York JFK and a KLM one from Amsterdam to Panama. The two aircraft will operate on several long-haul destinations during the trial.
Passengers wanting to send text messages, check emails and browse the internet will be able to do so on wifi for either 10.95 euros an hour or 19.95 euros for a full flight. The fees are applicable for all classes.
The mobile connectivity service, which is provided by Aeromobile, will allow passengers to use SMS and data services as long as their mobile operator has a roaming agreement with Aeromobile.
Aeromobile has agreements with over 220 mobile phone operators across 100 countries, including Orange and Bouygues in France and Telfort, KPN and Vodafone in the Netherlands, and O2, 3 and Vodafone in the UK.
Both wifi and mobile connectivity will begin once the aircraft has reached 20,000ft.
Kevin Rogers, CEO of Aeromobile, said: "We’re delighted to add Air France-KLM to the list of high-profile airlines already offering the AeroMobile service to their passengers.
"Since we launched in 2008, over 17 million passengers have connected to Aeromobile inflight and we’re seeing huge demand from consumers who want to stay connected."
Yesterday, it was announced that Heathrow airport is to offer all passengers free wifi from Saturday (see online news, May 28).
The London hub will offer online access without charge for 45 minutes per calendar day across all five terminals.
For more information, visit airfrance.co.uk.
Report by Graham Smith
