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Internet Access 10 Kilometers High Up In The Air

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-isn't-that-special dept.

Marton writes "Lufthansa started rolling out their Flynet service in 2004. It is now available on several long-haul flights such as 411D - the one I'm sitting on right now. It is not cheap ($30 for the duration of a flight) nor is it very fast (satellite-based technology can't deliver the snappy response you are used to on the ground) but it is really, really nice. It's great to be able to check my email, catch up with some work, or just surf the web - airplane time used to be about napping, paperbacks or crappy movies. Now if only they'd let me have a cigarette I could actually be productive too. " Marton also gave us a traceroute which is attached... I'm going to Tokyo in May and crying that Northwest won't have this.

Here's a traceroute from my laptop which is currently on an A-340 10,000 meters up in the air, doing about 800 kilometers per hour, somewhere over the Atlantic bound for Munich.


C:\Documents and Settings\Marton>tracert www.slashdot.org

Tracing route to www.slashdot.org [66.35.250.151]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 2 ms 3 ms 2 ms 172.16.64.1
2 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms cbb-cds-psn.by.boeing [172.16.0.18]
3 3 ms 4 ms 2 ms sbs.by.boeing [172.31.0.1]
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 568 ms 626 ms 576 ms 10.8.20.38
6 703 ms 567 ms 583 ms ltn02r03-vlan25.connexionbyboeing.net [10.8.20.2]
7 580 ms 705 ms 582 ms ltn02r21-fa2-9.connexionbyboeing.net [10.8.16.25]
8 627 ms 582 ms 632 ms 10.8.16.33
9 579 ms 581 ms 581 ms ltn02r01-fa3-3.connexionbyboeing.net [10.8.16.130]
10 619 ms 582 ms 582 ms ltn02r02-fa3-3.connexionbyboeing.net [10.8.16.131]
11 581 ms 582 ms 665 ms 12.125.155.5
12 655 ms 912 ms 1072 ms gbr1-a31s1.dvmco.ip.att.net [12.127.4.134]
13 1144 ms 1612 ms 1939 ms gbr1-p60.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.1.29]
14 1500 ms 712 ms 580 ms tbr2-p013301.sffca.ip.att.net [12.122.12.133]
15 613 ms 579 ms 582 ms 12.122.80.57
16 589 ms 608 ms 790 ms dcr1-so-3-0-0.sanfranciscosfo.savvis.net [192.205.32.110]
17 588 ms 605 ms 582 ms dcr2-loopback.SanFranciscosfo.savvis.net [206.24.210.100]
18 609 ms 1774 ms 1079 ms bhr1-pos-0-0.SantaClarasc8.savvis.net [208.172.156.198]
19 610 ms 968 ms 1108 ms csr1-ve243.SantaClarasc8.savvis.net [66.35.194.50]
20 1109 ms 886 ms 998 ms 66.35.212.174
21 630 ms 860 ms 994 ms star.slashdot.org [66.35.250.151]

Trace complete.

29 of 366 comments (clear)

  1. If you need slashdot on a plane... by PyWiz · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...you might be addicted.

    --
    -py
  2. Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by flowerp · · Score: 3, Funny

    If cou can pay $30 for Internet, try paying $30 for smoking. Let's see how far that will get you.

    --
    --- Eat my sig.
    1. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by magarity · · Score: 2, Funny

      Because it is a flame on an airplane. See the problem?

      Plenty of people smoked like chimneys from the days of the Ford Tri-Motor to the day before the bans went into effect. I don't think there are any cases of planes crashing or otherwise coming to harm because of cigarettes. It's just a case of a confined area with nowhere for the smoke to go except in everyone else's nose. As a non-smoker, I have to say that if smokers were willing to wear an enclosed helmet to smoke on planes, I'd be all in favor of it. Mainly for the comic relief value, but hey...

    2. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by anonicon · · Score: 3, Funny

      "2) It's FEDERAL LAW. No one smokes on an airplane, period. Are they supposed to just throw away the law because some addicted nut pulls out a helmet?"

      Depends. Are we talking about the Lesser Helmet of +5 Charisma for 8,000GP, or the Greater Helmet of +10 Charisma for 24,000GP?

      >;-)

    3. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by JonyEpsilon · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm confused. Are you talking about smoking or slashdot ?

    4. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by Vlad_the_Inhaler · · Score: 2, Funny

      ive never died from dropping a fag on my shirt.

      Was that your GNAA post?

      --
      Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
    5. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by Jeremi · · Score: 2, Funny
      ive never died from dropping a fag on my shirt.


      I did, once. Fortunately they offer 20,000,000 hours of free dial-up AOL access here in hell.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    6. Re:Will $30 more also get you smoking rights? by MerryGoByeBye · · Score: 2, Funny

      Only on Slashdot can the previous post get modded "interesting". Funny on its own, of course, but on the other hand tragic, as it shows just how little the mods pay attention.

  3. Mile High Club? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    For all the slashdot geeks flying on Lufthansa, this also gives you the opportunity to join the mile high club - solo!

  4. Skynet anyone? by Billy_D_Goat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would this be any relation to Skynet perhaps? Flynet: Skynet's little sister.

  5. 0wned! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny


    Well, you should have updated you XP to SP2 before putting you IP address on /. dude!

    Now let us see if we can crank up the volume and start playing back those interesting "documentaries" you've got in:

    c:\Program Files\Accounting\Private\Pervysnsluts_2004_njr_rel .avi

  6. Heh by tmasky · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder who's insecure laptop is going to join the Mile High club first.

  7. Mwuhahahahha by evil-osm · · Score: 2, Funny

    ping -f -s1460 172.16.64.1

    --


    E.

    Never rub another man's rhubarb - The Joker
    1. Re:Mwuhahahahha by BLAG-blast · · Score: 3, Funny
      ping -f -s1460 172.16.64.1

      Nooooooooooooooooooooo! That's my IP address dude!

      --
      M0571y H@rml355.
  8. Re:Boeing technology by Abstract_Me · · Score: 4, Funny

    The article says its slow and expensive but the connexionbyboeing website advertises it being fast and cheap! which one do i beleive?!

  9. Re:Boeing technology by magarity · · Score: 4, Funny

    I find it quite amusing that Connexion by Boeing is being used on an Airbus.

  10. Wow! by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

    Step 11 on the traceroute was really interesting.

    11 581538 ms 582667 ms 6659876 ms mgs.nasa.mars.net

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  11. Latency? by powerline22 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Funny, someone from Apple was a bit bored during one flight, so they fired up iChat AV and had a videoconference at 30,000 feet, and it was fine.

  12. The only time I could lose in HALO and... by IronChefMorimoto · · Score: 2, Funny

    Playing HALO PC multiplayer from 30K feet kind of gives me immunity from "no0b" accusations, seeing as I'm a l337 airborne hax0r with this service. Sadly, I will get my ass kicked with those pings, but, by god, I'll be a pioneer of the Mile High Gaming Club.

    IronChefMorimoto

    P.S. - Wait a minute. I suck at HALO PC multiplayer on the ground.

  13. Re:VoIP by melonman · · Score: 3, Funny

    once the latency goes down a bit

    What, when the speed of light increases a bit? I'm typing this on a terrestial satellite connection, and that's about the latency you get.

    You can do VoIP over this sort of connection, you just have to get used to the fact that there's about a second's lag, and, if you can hear yourself on the remote speakers, a 2-second echo.

    Here's part of my traceroute...

    3 firewall (192.168.1.1) 3.067 ms 7.553 ms 12.684 ms
    4 172.31.254.253 (172.31.254.253) 4.062 ms 5.199 ms 6.160 ms
    5 172.16.128.19 (172.16.128.19) 631.013 ms 583.867 ms 1562.693 ms
    6 172.16.64.61 (172.16.64.61) 1658.335 ms 1537.707 ms 1099.666 ms
    7 172.16.100.1 (172.16.100.1) 1156.839 ms 1302.108 ms 1372.232 ms
    8 iamrt01p.idc.aramiska.net (172.16.101.254) 794.488 ms 528.926 ms 569.041 ms
    9 213.181.59.142 (213.181.59.142) 602.372 ms 606.007 ms 732.337 ms
    10 cbu-pcbru11-pecbru21-pos31.car.belbone.be (213.181.59.198) 707.791 ms 782.617 ms 619.338 ms
    11 so-6-1-2-bcr1.bru.cw.net (206.24.147.189) 743.572 ms 759.283 ms 732.355 ms
    12 so-5-1-0-dcr2.par.cw.net (195.2.10.34) 906.991 ms 770.496 ms 628.550 ms
    13 as0-dcr1.par.cw.net (195.2.10.161) 904.086 ms 658.604 ms 1547.670 ms
    14 so-0-0-0-dcr1.was.cw.net (195.2.10.117) 670.472 ms 822.322 ms 698.954 ms
    15 dcr1-so-2-0-0.Washington.savvis.net (206.24.238.17) 620.367 ms 654.039 ms 711.492 ms
    16 dcr2-loopback.SanFranciscosfo.savvis.net (206.24.210.100) 848.040 ms 795.551 ms 879.444 ms
    17 bhr1-pos-0-0.SantaClarasc8.savvis.net (208.172.156.198) 1360.829 ms 994.331 ms 758.175 ms
    18 csr1-ve240.SantaClarasc8.savvis.net (66.35.194.34) 1306.824 ms 1061.993 ms 861.418 ms
    19 66.35.212.174 (66.35.212.174) 1148.671 ms 1076.630 ms 696.751 ms
    20 slashdot.org (66.35.250.150) 983.516 ms 1103.163 ms 778.011 ms
    --
    Virtually serving coffee
  14. This could make air travel pay off! by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Pay $30 for email in airplane
    2. Login and check email
    3. Receive Nigerian offer to give you $15,000
    4. Profit!

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  15. Flamebait by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Funny

    Beware, Joe Camel is moderating today. I was modded down for saying something similar.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  16. Slashdot on a Plane by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny

    Flight Attendant: "Sorry, sir. After you posted that message about the iPod on Slashdot, Cowboy Neal notified us to mod you down. You can't sit in first class anymore. Please find a seat in coach. Oh, and if you do it again? You will have to sit on the wing with the other gremlins. Gremlins? That is what we call trolls here. Look outside and you will see a few right now GNAA'ing on the wings."

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  17. Tell me about it! by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny
    "And while we are at it, LEARN TO LINE WRAP. Trust the browser to do it for you, man"

    Tell me about it
    There is this one AC
    Who types every troll
    like this. It makes them
    all look like Haiku.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  18. Profit! by Gudlyf · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Pay the $30 fee for your in-flight connection.
    2. Connect your own pocket wireless AP to your laptop.
    3. Offer the rest of the plane access to your AP for $10.
    4. Profit! (?)
    --
    Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
  19. For everything else by Jurph · · Score: 2, Funny

    Plane Ticket to Germany: $750
    Internet Access in the Air: $30
    GMail Account: Free

    Having Slashdot publish your story before you land:
    Priceless.

    The best things in life are free; for everything else, there's someone stealing your slogan.

  20. Re:Boeing technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    This is a bit like a BMW with Onstar.

    OnStar might be a good thing to install in airliners.

    OnStar voice: How may I help you?

    Flight attendant: We're in real trouble here. We've got a hole in the cockpit, the copilot was sucked out of the plane, and the pilot's been blinded. Nobody on board knows how to land the plane. We need help!

    OnStar voice: No problem. Well send out a service plane and drop you a new pilot on a rope. They should be at your location within an hour.

  21. Re:NICE!! by XFilesFMDS1013 · · Score: 2, Funny

    considering many of us think nothing about easily spending $30 on a restaurant meal.

    Okay, only someone on /. would connect the ability to access to web and eating, together, both as things that "must be done".

  22. Thanks by StikyPad · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thanks for posting the IP address of the plane.

    Sincerely,
    Al Hackeera

    --
    https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere