Olin's EmPower system works off a plane's power once the plane is above 10,000 feet. It will be installed on a U.S. airline before the year's out, says program manager Susan Nellis. She won't name which airline. Another company, BE Aerospace in Irvine, Calif., has produced a similar product called PowerPort. The Federal Aviation Administration hasn't approved either system yet.
Some airlines are skeptical.
It's something we did look at. Nellis says some airlines are talking about offering the outlets free in business and first classes and for the cost of a headset in coach. The most sophisticated batteries can last up to 4 hours, but that power is eaten up by increasingly sophisticated software, CD-ROM drives and large screens, says Rik Fairlie, managing editor of Mobile Office.