Sky-High Wi-Fi

If you're planning any air travel in the near future, you might find yourself surfing while you fly. American Airlines is one of several carriers planning to offer Wi-Fi in the sky with a broadband Internet service called Gogo.  The service will be implemented on some of its transcontinental Boeing planes. Other airlines are also implementing or planning to launch their own services.

American's Wi-Fi will be available for $12.95 on flights longer than three hours. Passengers with their own Wi-Fi-enabled devices will be able to access the Internet using Aircell's Gogo technology, which communicates with cellular towers on the ground via three antennae on the plane's exterior. Your laptop or other mobile device connects via several wireless access points within the cabin. American says Gogo is also compatible with most corporate VPNs and e-mail.

JetBlue is offering a test of limited Wi-Fi capabilities on what it calls the BetaBlue plane, a Wi-Fi-equipped Airbus 320. The service is free, but limited. You can access e-mail from services like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL; use your Blackberry; send instant messages; and, in case you've just got to buy the latest bestseller from 30,000 feet up, shop at Amazon.com.

Later this year, Virgin America will begin testing Wi-Fi as well, with the goal of offering it across its fleet by 2009. In addition to using your own carry-on devices, Virgin will let you access the Internet using seatback video touchscreens. Lufthansa says it will also roll out a program next year.

The spate of new on-high Wi-Fi comes a couple of years after Boeing pulled the plug on Connexions, its in-flight wireless broadband service. That program reportedly failed after the company was unable to get enough paying customers.

If you've been on a flight that offers Wi-Fi, share your experience with us. Was it worth the price (if you had to pay)? Would you be satisfied with a free service that offered limited access? Or do you think the wild blue yonder should remain Internet-free?

—Donna Tapellini

Comments

[Chris]

I haven't used this service yet but I have been waiting for this advance in technology for years. I travel a lot and I get extremely bored when I'm on my long flights. Imagine 11 hours from Tokyo to LA and then another 6 hours from LA to Miami... I'd have a good time chatting with friends or just looking up new things. Some people are entertained by books and sleeping but I can't sleep that long, why not catch up on work or school research. Thumbs up to all of these airlines. Jet Blue is my favorite since they were the first airline that I was able to enjoy DirecTV on, vice the boring movies they show on other airlines.

[Bill Mac]

It is a nice amenity I guess--some uses for email refresh. But as a 6' 1" guy, I can't use it unless I sit in an exit row or 1st/business class. I mean, who has enough room to open a laptop? And I like not having fellow passengers be allowed to talk on cell phones...will they be using Skype now?