Korean Air today announced it has selected Connexion by Boeing as its service provider of high-speed Internet-based communications.  The agreement calls for the first installation of the Connexion by BoeingSM mobile connectivity service on the carrier’s long-haul fleet of 747-400s and 777ERs in early 2005, with service beginning shortly after that.  Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Today’s announcement makes Korean Air the first Korean airline to sign up for the Connexion by Boeing service.

“With our agreement to provide the Connexion by Boeing service to Korean Air and its passengers, we are gaining a widely respected airline customer that has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and passenger services,” said Scott Carson, Connexion by Boeing president.  “Korea has the highest broadband penetration rate in the world.  So the high-speed connectivity that Korean Air passengers have in their homes and offices can now be extended to their in-flight travel experience, providing them with affordable choices for how to spend their time in the cabin.” 

“Proudly celebrating our 35th anniversary this year, we announced a new vision to provide customers a greatly enhanced in-flight experience and instill a new corporate culture within Korea Air. Our new vision is ‘to be a respected leader in the world airline community’ and we call it “Excellence in Flight,” which has three supporting pillars: Service Excellence, Operational Excellence and Innovative Excellence,” said Mr. Y.H. Kim, president of Passenger Business Division for Korean Air. “As part of our efforts to fulfill ‘Service Excellence,’ we chose Connexion by Boeing to provide our customers with a superb in-flight experience. We are sure that they will perfectly address the in-flight communication needs of our passengers with real-time, high-speed Internet and email access and also align with our goal to be recognized by our customers as the best airline in the world,” he added.

Representatives from Korean Air and Connexion by Boeing are in the process of defining the levels of service that will be offered to the airline’s passengers, as well as a schedule for the installation of the service on the airline’s aircraft.  Korean Air also is determining the initial passenger routes for the service and will announce that information at a future date.
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