Does CX have wifi on board?
 

I am flying CX on business class from ORD-HKG then HKG-BKK. Wondering if they have wifi on the plane? If so is there any additional cost?

Thanks!

no wifi yet

I don't think there will ever be because there is no way to get data when you're over the pacific.

there's something called satellite. CX has already announced wifi will be rolled out in 2012 just no exact timeframe yet

Aww
 

UNLESS, CX teams up with Boeing to launch a group of Satellites that span the pacific ocean & southeast Asian countries. Granted, each would cost $60-$120 Million, but it would be worth it. ^

On a serious note: one of the wonders of flying is the ability to be completely disconnected from the outside world. So you won't be as productive for those hours you'll be in the area. No big deal.

Enjoy CX J class without any interruptions. It's a lovely product :)

cx will be using panasonic

How do you think we get our data from the flight deck, listen to ATC, even how do we use phones that are part of the inflight entertainment system??!! :D :rolleyes:

The phone calls on existing voice-only systems usually sent via INMARSAT or Iridium networks. Iridium has truly global coverage but data speeds are still @ dial-up. It was not designed to do high speed data and stay connected reliably.

There's INMARAT BGAN but this wasn't designed for maritime or aviation use and has lowish speeds of up to 384kbps IMHO. An aviation solution that's INMARSAT based is Airbus' OnAir system which supports a maximum of 432kbps downstream. I believe Emirates and SQ are going for that on their A380. The advantage of this system, despite it's slow speed is that birds are already in the SKy, INMARSAT is a very established player. Coverage is pretty much world-wide out of the box.

CX, SAS, JAL, Etihad and many others are signing up for the Panasonic Avionics' eXConnect product which is what Lufthansa are currently rolling out.

IIRC they (LH) have signed up for 5Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream per aircraft, shared by all pax. The system itself can support up to 50Mbps down per aircraft.

As for CX: they are definitely still planning to roll this out starting 2012 if recent press-releases are anything to go by.

With regards to Pacific coverage: the system was launched with good trans-Atlantic coverage initially but it doesn't stop there. Asia/Pacific coverage is being added.

They are working on it though..

So is Panasonic putting their own satellites in the sky? I'm wondering how Panasonic can make this commercially viable where Boeing Connexion failed. Admittedly there is probably more demand now compared to when Connexion was implemented, but satellites still cost a lot of money.

AFAIK they are not owning the satellites. Panasonic lease capacity on satellites that are up there for various communication purposes. Panasonic do not own the hardware.

Boeing manufacture satellites in-house so that might have given them the idea to send their own equipment up for Conexxion which sadly was ahead of its time and failed.

I really hope that all of them, including CX are implementing strict bandwidth limitation per user. See the thread on slow WiFi access in CX lounges due to porn downloaders...

Agreed. The need for internet has simply changed over the past years. Just imagine how people thought about mobile phones in the beginning: Who the heck needs the ability to call while driving? Today the mindset is totally different.

Calling in the air is still not mainstream because it's still so prohibitively expensive. But when looking at internet rates asked by some American airlines, it's already more affordable and may find greater acceptance and subsequently better chances for commercial success. Even if it doesn't really pay off by the cent, permium airlines may use this just like a good IFE as additional distinguisher/benefit vs. discount airlines (at least for a while).

JAL has high speed wifi from ORD since a couple of years IIRC.

Had! JAL was using Connexion by Boeing and JAL's JFK-NRT flight was the first scheduled commercial flight over the Pacific that offers wifi connection onboard. It was expanded to certain flights on ORD routes but got pull while Boeing axed the program

American has recently announce that their new 77W aircraft will be equipped with wifi as well.