From today, Singapore Airlines’ passengers can stay truly connected, 35,000 feet in the air, as colleagues, friends and loved ones are literally just a mouse click away.

Singapore Airlines is offering travellers Connexion by Boeing, an inflight broadband service that provides passengers with real-time, high-speed and secure Internet connectivity inflight. With this service, passengers with a wireless-enabled laptop can send and receive emails, connect real-time with their corporate virtual private network to stay connected as if they are on the ground.

“This new Internet service opens up a whole new world of entertainment, information and business options for our customers. Clearly, we are not stopping here and will continue to add new applications to further enhance the system,” said Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President, Product and Services, Mr Yap Kim Wah.

Besides providing broadband connectivity service, Singapore Airlines’ customers will be the first to view live TV onboard an international flight. Four channels of live TV, featuring top international news providers, will be available for viewing via passengers’ laptops from June 2005. In later phases, live TV will be available in every seat, enabling passengers to cheer along with spectators in stadiums as sports channels are added to the menu.

The price for this service, set by Connexion by Boeing, is as follows:

Flight Duration

0 to 3 hours 3 to 6 hours Over 6 hours

Plan 1 - Internet Flight:

Fixed Rate, unlimited usage US$14.95 US$19.95 US$29.95

Plan 2 - Internet Minutes:

Metered or “pay as you use” 30-minute starter package for US$ 7.95 with rates of US$0.25 per minute thereafter. 30-minute starter package for US$ 9.95 with rates of US$0.25 per minute thereafter.

During the first two weeks following the launch, Singapore Airlines is offering a special rate to passengers who sign up for the Internet Flight Plan (Plan 1) for flights exceeding 6 hours. During the promotion period, customers will receive a US$10 discount from the usual rate of US$29.95.

A free text chat assistance service, manned by experienced customer care representatives from Connexion by Boeing, is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week should passengers have any queries about the service whilst inflight. Through the live text chat service, passengers also have the freedom to switch between the two price plans even after signing onto the service, should they find it more economical to do so.

Passengers with SingNet Business Class Roaming or StarHub Wireless BroadBand accounts can login using their assigned roaming user IDs and passwords. Their Connexion by Boeing usage charges will then be reflected in their monthly SingNet or StarHub bills.

Singapore Airlines launched this new service on its daily Singapore-London flights (SQ320 and SQ321) and plans to introduce this service progressively to other long haul flights.