Facebooking At 35,000 Feet

Diane Clarkson | September 25, 2007, 04:40 PM

Alaska Airlines has announced that it will become the first U.S. airline to test a satellite-based in-flight wireless Internet service on one of its planes next year. They are planning to install the service from Row 44 Inc next spring and, if all goes well, may add it to their entire fleet.

Last month, American Airlines also announced it would test a high-speed air-to-ground Internet service of some of its Boeing 767 planes. For that system, AirCell LLC said it would build towers throughout the continental US to transmit the broadband signals.

In a report we did in January 2005, “Increasing Online Revenue from Business Travelers”, we found that 66 percent of frequent business travelers said they would be interested in using in-flight Internet access in the future.

There’s still no confirmation of pricing. Alaska Airlines says it is considering a range from free to a day pass. Last year, Boeing’s Connexion offered high-speed in-flight Internet hookups via satellite that cost $10 for the first hour, or $27 for 24 hours. I expect we’ll see the airlines following hotels’ leads and charging for Wi-Fi access. I also expect we’ll see business travelers grumble about it but pay. In-flight internet access could make travel time productive. Or at least give us a chance to get caught up on Facebook.