SIA TO BEGIN IN-FLIGHT E-MAIL TRIALS IN NOVEMBER

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will take a giant stride towards making its CyberCabin concept a reality later this year when it begins conducting e-mail trials on board two of its aircraft. In connection with these trials, it will download hundreds of thousands of web pages to allow customers to browse through the content using a dedicated server on board.

The first trial, using Tenzing Communications Inc’s inflight communications services, will commence in late November. A second trial, using Honeywell’s Total Aircraft Information System (TAIS), is scheduled for December.

“We understand how important it is for our customers to stay connected, even when they are travelling at 35,000 feet,” said Mr Yap Kim Wah, SIA’s Senior Vice-President (Marketing Services). “Our aim is to allow our customers high-quality e-mail and web site access from anywhere in the sky, at any time. This is the first step towards creating our CyberCabin of the future.”

The tests will make SIA the first airline in the world to offer in-flight e-mail using a satellite-based communications network. Earlier trials conducted by other airlines have been restricted to areas over land, using terrestrial communications systems.

The initiative is in line with SIA’s vision of providing connectivity to its customers on the ground and in the air. The Airline recently introduced SIA Mobile Services, a facility that allows customers to obtain up-to-the-minute SIA flight information via WAP phones. This service is being extended to Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as well.

SIA is investing $200 million over the next two years on developing its CyberCabins, with e-mail and web site access among the fundamental features.