Online buzz couldn’t salvage in-flight broadband access … Boeing will shut down its Connexion unit after investing “substantial time, resources and technology” over the past six years in the in-flight internet service that only had 11 airlines as customers. As Boeing CEO Jim McNerney explained in the announcement, “Regrettably, the market for this service has not materialized as had been expected.” The company said in June it was exploring other options for Connexion. Release.
Update: WSJ (sub. req.): “At the height of the dot-com boom, Boeing and others estimated that revenue from laptop-toting passengers could top $25 billion a year by 2005. The original plan was for Boeing to work as a partner with U.S. airlines. That fell apart after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, which helped plunge the airline industry into the deepest slump in its history. The fate of the venture was likely sealed in late 2001, when AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, all fighting for survival on their own, pulled out as partners on the project.”
Related: Mile-High WiFi Catching On
— Boeing Adds Live TV Via Satellite And WiFi To In-Flight Offering
— Boingo Makes Connexion
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