CATHAYPacific is set to provide its UK passengers with inflight Internet and e-mail facilities from summer 2000.
Other carriers are known to be studying the set up of Internet facilities on board aircraft but Cathay is the first to commit itself to a timetable.
The carrier will start testing the on-line system on its long-haul fleet early in 2000.
Initially trials will be on Hong Kong routes to North America, including flights to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto. A spokesman said Cathay’s Heathrow services will also be used for testing, but the airline wanted to try out the technology on more experienced US passengers first.
Testing will be carried out in conjunction with regular business flyers and once this is complete, access will be rolled out on all international flights.
The spokesman confirmed Cathay was aiming for installation during the third quarter of 2000.
The new technology will have restricted use at first but is expected to be developed for use in all classes.
The spokesman added: “First and business passengers will initially be able to use it but there’s also a lot of business passengers in economy and we want to roll it out in the whole aircraft.”
An American firm, Tenzing, is working with Cathay on the project.
Customers are expected to be able to pay a fee to use their own lap-tops on aircraft to log-on to the Internet through a pre-loaded package. No price has been set yet.
As well as being attractive to business travellers, the system could also significantly enhance current entertainment options on aircraft.
Cathay already offers the possibility of logging on to the Internet in its lounges by computer power point facilities but once passengers are in the air they are then only able to use either telephones or fax machines.