Verizon leaving in-flight phone business

First Connexion from Boeing said they might call it quits and stop providing in-flight Internet access and now comes word that Verizon will be exiting the in-flight phone business by the end of the year.  Pretty soon you’ll be begging to use your cell phone on the plane just to stay connected.  Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I saw someone actually use one of those svelte, sexy phones from Verizon firmly implanted at forehead level in the seat back.  If memory serves me correctly the two or three times I saw someone use them was years ago when they were first introduced and each call began with “guess where I am right now”.  While I would lament the Connexion disappearance I wouldn’t miss Verizon at all.

(thanks to jkOnTheRun reader Phil Ferris)

-jk

Comments

[Scotty]

When I picked up a VerizonWireless account for their EVDO I learned they had a "Pay us $5 a month and use our in flight phones for $.10 per minute" option.

I signed up for it and I've never gotten it to work.

Silly me, I keep hopping to China and their service only works over US Soil. Of course it took 3 flights to get them to finally figure that out. Oh well.

The Satellite option is $6 per minute, which they are happy to have you burn for free by calling them to ask "How come I enter my PIN and it says it can't register me at this time?" I can report that those calls were all very clear. :-)

This service would have been pretty slick. When you registered your PIN with the phone and you got a call on your cell the phone in the plane that you registered on would ring.