Enjoy Mobile Broadband Internet In-Flight

Consumers increasingly rely on 24/7/365 access to the Internet to conduct business, stay connected to friends and family, keep abreast of the latest news developments, or simply for entertainment. Now you can stay connected whenever you travel by plane because U.S. airlines are equipping their aircraft with in-flight Internet service. More and more flights are becoming Wi-Fi hotspots allowing passengers with Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs to access the Internet from 30,000 feet in the air.

U.S. Airlines Offer Internet Service on Select Flights with More on the Way

Several U.S. airlines offer in-flight Internet service on select flights and are currently equipping the service on many more. American Airlines has 15 flights with Aircell's Gogo In-flight Internet Service and will be adding it on 318 domestic planes in the next couple of years. Gogo is also available on approximately 80 Delta/Northwest planes with more planned. United will be offering Gogo service later this year; and Aircell is working with Air Canada to equip Gogo on its flights. Alaska Airlines and Southwest have launched customer trials of their own satellite-based wireless Internet services.

In-flight Internet with Aircell's Gogo Air-to-Ground System

According to Aircell, the Gogo network incorporates an air-to-ground system. Each plane is equipped with three antennas that connect to Aircell's cell towers which are located across the U.S. With a connection speed of approximately 3.1 Mbps, passengers with Wi-Fi enabled laptops, smartphones, and PDAs will be able to surf the Web, watch movies, listen to music, send instant messages, stay in touch with their offices, access a corporate VPN, check their email, keep current on Facebook, contact a friend on MySpace, and Twitter to their hearts' content. No need to be bored on long flights anymore.

Cost for In-flight Internet Service on Wi-Fi Enabled Devices

The cost for in-flight Internet access varies, but the fees are fairly inexpensive. They range from $9.95 for flights that are less than three hours to $12.95 for longer flights. And if you connect with a mobile device, the fee is as low as $7.95. Considering the wealth of information, communication, social activities, and entertainment features passengers will be able to access online as they travel from point A to point B, it's a very reasonable price.