El Al long-range passengers to lose Connexion by Boeing mid-air High-Speed In-flight Internet

Connexion by Boeing is a mobile information services provider delivering real-time, high-speed connectivity to airline passengers
 
Connexion by BoeingSM a business unit of The Boeing Company announced recently that it planned to end real-time, high-speed internet service on its aircraft and end the six-year old Connexion venture.
 
Connexion by Boeing is a mobile information services provider delivering real-time, high-speed connectivity to airline passengers, affording them personalized access to the Internet, to their personal and business email accounts (including attachments) and to entertainment content.
 
Connexion by Boeing was twice the recipient of the World Travel Award for World's Leading High-Speed In-flight Internet Services Provider.
 
El Al was proud to be among some of the first airlines in the world to provide passengers with high-speed in-flight Internet service.
 
In-flight connectivity, the capability of connecting to the world in real time, represented a revolution in service in El Al's international network and a conceptual change amidst passengers, primarily on long-range flights.
 
The Connexion by Boeing service is provided on flights offered by Lufthansa, SAS, Japan Airlines and ANA.
 
Early last year Boeing said that several other airlines; Singapore Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana had announced their intent to install the Connexion by Boeing system on their long-range aircraft.
 
Most airlines, especially in the US, held off buying the service in the hope that cheaper, cellular network-based Internet services will end up dominating the market.
 
Boeing's announcement noted that the market had not yet materialized for the service. The company acknowledged it would take a $320 million charge in the second half of 2006.
 
It is understood thatdespite consumer enthusiasm for mid-air Internet access, the $26.95 for an entire long-haul flight for unlimited Internet access and live TV directly to a laptop computer and the $9.95 an hour service($14.95 for 2 hours & $17.95 for 3 hours) was too expensive.
 
It is understood that Korean Air is to sue plane-maker Boeing over the failure of its in-flight broadband venture. According to The Korea Times, Korean Air is suing Boeing for $12m after it had begun to kit out a number of its aircraft to be compatible with the now-defunct service.