TELL IT LIKE IT IS blog

Email at 39,000 Feet

It worked well for me and I was able to answer a number of emails while in the air...But I don't think many people will pay $8 for access during a 2-hour flight. Perhaps once, because it is fun.

This week I took a trip to Atlanta and on the American Airlines flight from Los Angles to Dallas-Ft. Worth, I was on an MD-80 that was equipped with Wi-Fi. The fee  was $7.95 for the flight so I thought I would try it. Since my T-Mobile BlackBerry has Wi-Fi capability, I decided I would sign up using the BlackBerry rather than my notebook. I frankly had no interest in web surfing, but I thought it would be great to stay current with my email during the flight.

I am sure that signing up for service on a notebook is really easy, but on the BlackBerry it took some time to fill things in correctly and to enter my credit card number and billing information. However, once it was set up, the system asked if I wanted to save the credit card information for the next time I want to use the system and I checked the ‘yes’ box. It took a few minutes to complete the credit card check and then I was connected. (I had turned off my T-Mobile and Bluetooth radios so only the Wi-Fi radio was active.) After a few minutes, I began receiving email and during the entire trip I responded to messages and kept up with what was happening. Since most of my day-to-day communications with my clients is via email, this worked out well for me.

I tried to see if text messaging or voice calling would work since both normal voice conversations and text on the T-Mobile Hotspot @Home system work from my access  points at home, in my office, and in most airports around the nation. I found that neither worked, but since what I really wanted was my email I was okay with that. When you sign up, the system asks you to be a good citizen and not use the network for voice-over-IP calls and to be sensitive about what sites you are viewing since your screen might be viewed by others on the flight. I had upgraded to first class and watched to see if any other passengers were using the Wi-Fi connection on their notebooks or BlackBerrys. I didn’t see anyone who appeared to be connected, but then again, this is a new service.

Since I had to change planes in Dallas, I would have had to pay the $7.95 charge twice to use it for the entire trip, but if I had been on a direct flight from one coast to another, I would only have  had to pay the $7.95 fee once. This is American’s first attempt at offering Wi-Fi and I am sure there will be a learning process. Because I was using my BlackBerry and did not try the browser, I have no idea about data speed to the passenger, but next time I am on a flight with Wi-Fi I will try my notebook and run a few speed tests.

If it catches on, there could be so many customers on the system that it would be very slow. At this point, I am not sure how many access points are being used to cover the entire plane or how much bandwidth there is for the backhaul. And since I was not using a notebook, I was unable to determine how much latency was introduced because of the connection between the plane and the ground. Still, it worked well for me and I was able to answer a number of emails while in the air. When I arrived in Dallas to change planes, I was completely up to date and did not have to worry about reading and answering emails while moving through the airport.

The second flight was not equipped with Wi-Fi and was more like a normal flight—no interruptions from the ground, which is nice, especially if you want to use the time to relax, read a book, or even get some work done. We all know that email tends to interrupt what we are doing, and many of us keep a screen open with our email client running when we are in the office. At some times this is a distraction, but at other times, at least for me, it enables me to stay current with my clients’ questions and to respond to requests for services in near-real time. However, plane time has always been time when you are out of touch and don’t have to worry about being on top of what is going on. I think the uptake will depend on the person and how he/she normally works. Some of us react to every message received by our wireless email device as soon as it comes in (if we are not in a meeting), but many people I know check their device only periodically to make sure they have not missed anything and don’t spend much time answering emails wirelessly unless they are  urgent.

When people first started talking about wireless on airplanes including voice and data, I was less than enthusiastic. I don’t want the guy sitting next to me to spend the entire flight talking loudly on his phone. The airphones that used to be in the planes were rarely used and disappeared fairly quickly after 9/11, although I am assured that the two were not connected. Now it appears as though the airlines are settling on data-only services, trying to exclude Skype and other VoIP services, which is fine with me, since many people are already using notebooks while they travel and it won’t be any different if they are connected to the Internet.

I am not at all sure about the pricing model. I am not familiar with prices being charged on trans-Atlantic and Pacific flights, but it seems to me that $8 is too much for a 2.5 hour flight, especially if all I want is to have my email running on my notebook or smartphone. But perhaps it is not too much if I want to use the Internet and surf the web or conduct some research, but I think most business people will simply want to stay connected to their email, and I doubt their companies will pay for airborne Internet connectivity. So I am suggesting that the pricing model be changed. Perhaps there could be one model to connect to an email server for say, $4.00 per flight, and one that provides for full access for $8.00 per flight, or one to purchase access for all of the flights on a single day or during a single trip. I’m sure there will be some changes in the pricing schemes, and I would like to offer my own option: I will pay 50,000 of my banked miles for access to email during all of my flights in a given year and 75,000 or 100,000 miles for full Internet connectivity.

I don’t think tourists will want to use the wireless Internet while in the air. I view this as primarily a business opportunity for the airlines, and much like hotel Internet connectivity and Wi-Fi connectivity in coffee shops and fast food restaurants. I think the model will change from a charge to a perk, and that airlines that make it a perk sooner rather than later will benefit by having made Wi-Fi available. Many hotels used to charge $10 a night for an Internet connection and many still do. But many offer it for free now, and MacDonald’s just announced it will stop charging for Wi-Fi Internet. Airlines are charging for checking bags, over-sized chocolate chip cookies, and many other things that used to be perks, so I am sure they consider Wi-Fi Internet access to be worth what they are charging. But I don’t think many people will pay $8 for access during a 2-hour flight. Perhaps once, because it is fun. I have to say that I enjoyed sending out emails telling people I was sitting on a plane at 39,000 feet. It felt like when we got our first cell phone and burned out countless minutes calling all our friends to tell them we had a wireless phone, or when we got our first BlackBerry and touted our ability to respond to emails no matter where we were.

Some people will pay because they HATE being out of contact. (The same business people who never take vacations because they fear they won’t be missed?) However, once the novelty wears off, I think most of us will have to be incented to use the service on a regular basis. Airplanes have come to the last place where we can enjoy freedom from our bosses and clients for a few hours. Now I can pay for a service that will enable them to interrupt my quiet time? I think not.

Speaking of freedom from work, best wishes to each and every one of you for a joyous Holiday Season.

Andrew M. Seybold

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