« Texas is Music Country | Main | Sale - Weekends at Select Extended Stay Hotels »
The Internet at 30,000 Feet
March 2, 2010 | Permalink
As most of us know, the early stages of technology can be challenging. Take mobile phones. The very first portable phones were expensive and inconvenient, requiring callers to connect through an operator. The shift to cellular technology brought us true portable phones, but they were the size of bricks. Be thankful for the modern cell phone.
Inflight Internet service may still be in its nascent stage, but it is worth understanding where things are at this point in time.
The big player seems to be Gogo Inflight Internet, a company launched in 2008. The service works similarly to cellular phones. There is a network of land-based towers sending a broadband signal skyward. As your airplane moves across the country, your connection switches from tower to tower.
The primary downside is that the system doesn’t work over 100 miles beyond the U.S. borders. Your inability to use a cell phone on an airplane won’t change either. In fact, Gogo and other services block even the use of Skype and other Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, services.
Gogo has, however, signed up quite a few domestic airlines. As of February 2010, Gogo serves Air Canada, AirTran, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, U.S. Airways and Virgin America. However, this does not mean that you can access the Internet from every plane operated by every airline. Currently, only AirTran and Virgin America offer this service on every flight. The other airlines are at various stages of fitting their planes for the service. Check with your carrier once you’ve booked your flight.
At present, this is not a free service. On flights of up to an hour and a half the fee is about $5. A single flight of more than three hours will set you back around $13. You can also purchase the service for either 24 hours for $13 or 30 days for about $30, but this only applies to use on a single airline.
Rates will also differ based on the type of device. Service to a laptop computer is cheaper than to other mobile devices, like smart phones. To entice travelers, Gogo currently provides free access to the online versions of the Wall Street Journal and Frommer’s Travel Guide when you pay for this service.
Southwest Airline, one of the nation’s most popular carriers, is testing a satellite-enabled system for their passenger Internet service. Southwest’s broadband service will range in cost from $2 to $12 per trip segment, depending on distance and type of device. To track progress, check Southwest’s WiFi web page frequently.
The development of inflight Internet service is a natural progression. Some road warriors will find that it improves their efficiency. Others will feel a loss of quiet time they might otherwise use for reading or other personal pursuits. Whichever way you see it, the reality is that this is one of the next big trends in business and personal airline travel.
The good news is that no matter if you use flight time for work, Internet surfing, or catching up on your sleep, there is a comfortable and convenient room waiting for you at one of the nearly 700 Extended Stay Hotels across the U.S. and in Canada.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83452aac569e20120a8ee4535970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Internet at 30,000 Feet :
