While South African Airways (SAA) hopes to implement systems on board its new Airbus A340-600 aircraft that will allow passengers to send in-flight SMSs and e-mails, travellers will still have to wait a little while for these services.
SAA's corporate communications manager, Sarah Uys, says the airline is monitoring the performance of its in-flight entertainment system - including personal video screens and phones installed with every seat - as it still has a few minor bugs to be worked out.
"Until such time as we are comfortable with the way this is running, we will not look at implementing new systems, like the text SMS messages," she says.
"We only flew our first international flight on the new Airbus on 16 February, and at the moment there are a few teething problems with the in-flight entertainment system that have to be sorted out by our hardware and software providers, so right now, providing an SMS facility is not our top priority."
Uys says the process of implementing new software on the planes can take time and is also a costly exercise, but that the first new on-board facility that will be looked at is an SMS capability from the on-board telephone, with Internet and e-mail facilities to come at a later stage.
In a related development, Pretoria-based notebook and accessories retailer Notebook Company has offered a free Internet access facility to each international airport in SA.
The proposal is that each facility will be able to accommodate up to eight mobile users via UTP connections and up to 20 wireless connections - one at each airport.
"We believe that this will promote the image of the Airports Company and the image of the airports," says Christopher Riley, CEO of the Notebook Company.
"This initiative will also go a long way towards assisting travelling businessmen and promoting mobile computing in SA."
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