Note to editors: This news release and accompanying photo are the first in history to be uploaded in flight via the Internet to PRNewswire for global distribution.
ABOVE CANADA AT 36,000 FEET, May 17, 2004 -- Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), and Lufthansa German Airlines made history today on flight LH 452 from Munich to Los Angeles by giving passengers the opportunity to be the first in the world to experience real-time, WiFi-based, high-speed Internet connectivity on a commercial flight route.
The successful launch of Connexion by Boeing's commercial airline service was confirmed by e-mail at 3:18 a.m. Pacific time when David Friedman, vice president of Marketing and Direct Sales, sent the following message to his team on the ground: "Hello from 33,000 feet above Germany. The system is on and everything is A-OK. Lots of buzz on board, as this is the start of a new era of communications and aviation history."
Connexion by Boeing, recipient of the 2003 World Travel Award for World's Leading High-Speed In-flight Internet Services Provider, brings high-speed Internet, data and entertainment connectivity to travelers via a broadband connection to the aircraft. Connexion by Boeing has definitive agreements with Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines System, Japan Airlines, ANA and Kingdom Holding Co. to equip their long-haul aircraft with the service. In addition, Singapore Airlines, China Airlines and Korean Air have announced their intent to install the Connexion by Boeing system on their long-range aircraft. Connexion by Boeing also offers a high-speed connectivity solution for the business aviation and maritime markets. For more information or to subscribe to the Connexion by Boeing e-newsletter, please visit www.connexionbyboeing.com.