Airlines to Add Inflight Internet

One frustrating thing about long flights is not being able to connect to the internet. Several airlines are now planning to offer broadband service to passengers

I think it's about time. After all, if you can have pay-per-use seat phones and satellite television, why not the internet?

Exploring new ways to keep passengers happy, especially during long flights, several airlines are working on adding internet use to their onboard amenities list.

Virgin America's new planes already have the ethernet outlets built into each seat, but the service is not yet operational and there is no actual date to begin offering internet use to passengers.

American Airlines says they will begin actual tests of inflight broadband, via AirCell, on its fifteen Boeing 767-200 aircraft that fly transcontinental routes, starting in early 2008. The service will be wireless, allowing laptop, PDA and smartphone access to surf the internet, send emails and send instant messages. The airline, however, says they will block some sites like Skype, to avoid the noise of inflight internet phone calls. Due to the limitations of the non-satellite technology used by AirCell, the airline will only offer this service on its U.S. flights for now.

Southwest says it will begin testing its service in 2008, but is still in the process of selecting a service provider. Meanwhile, JetBlue is exploring an in-seat option for e-mailing and texting next year, utilizing its already installed LiveTV service.

And it's not just U.S. passengers that will get to use onboard internet in the near future. Lufthansa, a German airline, will offer in-flight internet in early 2008, using a satellite-based system provided by the trio of T-Mobile, SES Global and ViaSat. Australia's Qantas said it will also offer Internet access by August 2008, but released no additional details.

None of the airlines will specify exact costs for passengers wanting to use the inflight internet, but I would expect it to range between $10 and $20 per flight, depending on the duration. Still, for those who need to get work done, or just want to connect with friends on the ground, it's a small price to pay for a useful service.

Now if they could only do something about those tiny bathrooms.