Lufthansa Airlines has launched the real-time high-speed Internet service “FlyNet” on its daily flights connecting Inchon and Frankfurt, the first of its kind among airlines operating in South Korea.

FlyNet is provided through a technical partnership with Connexion by Boeing (CBB), a business unit of the Boeing Company.

CBB is the only in-flight Internet service provider in the world.

Lufthansa is the first commercial airline to which CBB has started providing Internet service. It launched the service on May 17 last year for its Munich-Los Angeles route.

Other carriers using the service include SAS, Japan Air Lines, All Nippon Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Lufthansa offers the mobile service by linking the CBB network to antennas installed on aircraft through satellites.

The service covers almost all parts of the Northern Hemisphere, while coverage in Latin America, Africa and the North Pacific will be available soon.

The FlyNet service also includes the Lufthansa portal site, the first in-flight portal. News, sports, entertainment, weather and tourism, and a mileage-checking system are offered through the portal.

The German airline also plans to add hotel-booking services soon.

The portal site is currently provided in English and German, but Korean language service will be adopted this summer.

The Lufthansa portal is free of charge, but passengers need to pay to access other Internet sites. The fee is $29.95 for unlimited use on flights over six hours and $19.95 for shorter flights. Passengers can also pay $9.95 for 30 minutes and $0.25 per additional minute.

Customers can pay with a credit card or through corporate contracts. It is also possible to pay with Miles & More frequent flyer miles.

About 50 percent of Lufthansa’s long-haul aircrafts are equipped with FlyNet, and the service will be available on all Lufthansa flights by summer 2006.