El Al to offer inflight Internet access
Israeli airline buys six new Boeing planes for flights to Europe, which will include system allowing passengers to surf Web, chat on Skype. Service's fee yet to be determined
El Al passengers will soon be able to surf the Web and chat on Skype and WhatsApp one some of the airline's flights.
All business class seats and each row in economy class will be equipped with electricity outlets for computers and USB ports.
Israel's flag carrier has purchased six Boeing 737-900ER planes to its destinations in Europe, which will include an advanced air conditioning system, ergonomic seat cushions and particularly large baggage compartments. But one of the most important innovations, at least as far as the passengers are concerned, is an inflight Internet system.
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The planned entertainment system will be operated once the plane reaches 10,000 feet, several minutes after takeoff. Passengers will be able to use their personal computer system, surf the Web and chat through Skype, WhatsApp and other applications.
The new service's fee has yet to be determined. El Al was in talks with two leading companies in recent months – Panasonic and Row44 – and once the planes arrive in Israel, the company will decide which system to install in it and how much to charge for the service.
Other airlines charge an average of $5 per hour and up to $20 a day – depending on the length of the flight and the different routes.
This isn’t the first time El Al installs an Internet system on its planes. In 2005, several airlines – including El Al – installed Connexion systems on their Boeing planes, but the service was stopped about a year later, mainly due to high costs and many technical defects.
Low-cost flights planned too
The deal for all six planes is estimated at $320 million. The transaction was carried out with a guarantee of $190 million, which the company received from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
"The planes' arrival will be the highlight in the company's new supply momentum and aircraft fleet innovation," said El Al CEO Elyezer Shkedy. The first aircraft will be received by the company next Tuesday in a ceremony in Seattle. The second plane will arrive in December.
The Boeing 737-900ER aircraft are 3 meters (10 feet) longer than the 737-800 planes (which El Al owns 15 of). They have 172 seats – 16 in business class and 156 in economy.
Meanwhile, the company is looking into several options for operating low-cost flights with minimal services on its routes to Europe in light of growing competition from low-cost airlines which are boosting their activity in Israel.
El Al's Boeing 767-200, which took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his recent visit to the United States, conducted its last flight and was offered for sale by the company upon its return to Israel.
