Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will partner with Panasonic Avionics to offer in-flight Wi-Fi and mobile phone data services on its Boeing 777-300s, the airlines said Monday. The two airlines will offer trial versions of their in-flight Wi-Fi service beginning in early 2013, Air France said.
“Being permanently connected is now part of our customers’ daily lifestyles. This trial run is the first step of Air France’s and KLM’s long-term strategy to offer in-flight connectivity solutions across our long-haul fleet. We are pursuing our investments to even better serve our customers and to remain at the forefront in terms of innovations and mobile services,” Christian Herzong, senior vice president of marketing for Air France KLM said.
The trial phase will be conducted over the year 2013 on two Boeing 777-300s, operated by each airline. During this period, travellers will be able to hook up to the internet via their Wi-Fi enabled smartphone, laptop or tablet PC at a fixed rate, as well as use their mobile phone for sms or e-mail, whatever their travel class.