Boeing

Lufthansa and Connexion by Boeing today announced that their partnership to provide high-speed, in-flight Internet access is proving a popular feature with passengers. Based on research conducted with passengers of the industry-leading European air carrier, the FlyNet® portal, which includes Internet access from Connexion By Boeing^SM, is helping them to not only be productive in flight, but also is affording them with new entertainment options.

Connexion by Boeing Vice President of Marketing and Direct Sales David Friedman notes that, as the one-year in-service anniversary (May 17) approaches, airline passengers are proving to be extremely creative in how they use the all-in-one functionality of the Internet access service while airborne.

"Our partnership with Lufthansa continues to be strong, customer-focused and one that is helping to meet the connectivity needs of the airline's passengers," said Friedman. "Based on the research data, passengers are using the Connexion by Boeing service to access e-mail, surf the Internet, connect to their corporate virtual private networks and conduct Voice-over-Internet-Protocol calls over the Internet. It's very encouraging to know they are using it the way it was designed, while also finding new and creative ways to entertain themselves in flight."

"From my own experience and after talking to many customers, I know how important this service is, especially for business travelers," emphasizes Chief of Marketing and Sales of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines Thierry Antinori. "This corresponds with the results of the survey where 85 percent stated that in the future, the availability of high-speed Internet will influence their choice of an airline."

In an early sampling of 1,600* passengers who have used the Connexion by Boeing service, research showed the following:

• Two-thirds of passengers are very satisfied with the overall service
• 93 percent are either satisfied or very satisfied
• One out of three customers surveyed has used the service two-to-four times already
• The top four usage applications are sending and receiving e-mail, accessing the Internet for general information, accessing company intranets and using the Internet for financial service transactions
• 85 percent indicated the availability of high-speed Internet access would have an impact on their future choice of airlines

* Survey conducted in Asia, Europe and the US with a 40 percent response rate.

To commemorate its one-year in-service anniversary, Connexion by Boeing will provide one week of free Internet access on all equipped Lufthansa flights during the week of May 17-23. Currently there are 42 Lufthansa aircraft equipped with high-speed Internet access; route information can be found at www.connexionbyboeing.com or the FlyNet pages at www.lufthansa.com. In coming months, Connexion by Boeing will work closely with Lufthansa and other airline partners to identify and introduce new levels of service and functionality that will be offered to airline passengers.