Japan Airlines is planning to offer high-speed Internet connection onboard select international flights from the summer of 2012,

Panasonic’s broadband Ku connectivity solution eXConnect, will first be installed on JAL’s fleet of Boeing 777s and introduced on routes between Japan and its gateways in Europe* as well as in North America.

The airline plans to eventually equip its entire long-range fleet with this function, subsequently expanding this service to the rest of its international network. There has been increasing demand for mobile Internet connectivity even in-flight as customers value the options to do work or stay in contact with family and friends while on the go and also to have alternative forms of in-flight entertainment especially for long hours onboard.

Customers with their own personal electronic devices such as laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled gadgets will soon be able to experience the same connectivity and convenience of ground-level broadband Internet access, thousands of feet up in the air whenever they fly with JAL. The new in-flight service will not only allow customers in every cabin class to check and send emails, stay abreast with updates on their social media network and browse the World Wide Web, but also allow fast transfers of large data files just as in a Wi-Fi environment on the ground. Charges will apply for the service and the cost for usage will be announced at a later date nearer the launch.