[IMG]http://simplefeed.consumerreports.org/rsrc/i/1/_/skyhigh_wifi__346798895/4.gif?f=3dcb3160-01dc-11dc-32a2-0019bbc55f7f&s=AewyNia7NTvDvhaDemju5DEsbnVsbCwwLDA *[/IMG] Sky-High Wi-Fi
If you're planning any air travel this summer, you might find yourself surfing while you fly. American Airlines is one of several carriers offering Wi-Fi in the sky, having just rolled out a trial of a broadband Internet service called Gogo on some of its Boeing planes, most of which fly transcontinental routes. Other airlines are also implementing or planning to launch their own services.
American's Wi-Fi is available for $12.95 on flights longer than three hours. Passengers with their own Wi-Fi-enabled devices can 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
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