As a frequent traveler, I often use flight time to catch up on everyday things. I tend to stuff my carry-on bag with magazines, a book, my journal and, if I’m bringing my laptop, the most recent DVDs from my Netflix queue. If I don’t open any of the listed items, it’s probably because I turned up the music on my iPod to take a nap.
I’ve become accustomed to sitting down, buckling up and disconnecting from the world. When the airplane doors close, electronic devices are turned off so you can’t check the weather at your destination, log onto Facebook or respond to E-mails.
All of that changed on a recent return trip from Atlanta. Even before I made it to my seat on an AirTran Airlines flight, the numerous inflight Internet signs made me wish that I had charged my laptop.
The budget airline now offers Wi-Fi service on several flights; by the end of July, AirTran will become the first large U.S. airline to offer wireless Internet access on all of its 136 carrier jets.
For a fee, AirTran will offer Wi-Fi for wireless-enabled laptops, smartphones and personal digital assistants. It will cost $7.95 to $12.95 per flight, depending on the duration. Frequent fliers can also purchase monthly plans for a single airline carrier (other partnering airlines include American, Delta, United, and Virgin); mobile flight passes are at the lower end of the cost plan. For the moment, though, voice over Internet protocol calls are blocked so you won’t be subjected to hearing somebody’s video chat conversation.
JetBlue’s BetaBlue planes provide free e-mail and instant messaging, along with access to the Amazon.com site for sky shopping. The airline’s hub terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport has free Wi-Fi, a service that is typically limited to smaller airports around the country.
When I book flights, I tend to include the cost of getting to the airport with the ticket price. While I might find a good deal from Newark’s Liberty International Airport, it costs half the amount to reach JFK Airport from my Brooklyn apartment. In the near future, I will probably start adding Internet costs to my booking. If you have a connecting flight and the trip doesn’t end at AirTran’s main hub in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, you could end up paying an extra $32-four charges for each plane-for Wi-Fi service.
Will the public pay the extra fees? Most people aren’t willing to buy food on flights and bring their own sandwiches or snacks. If I fly with JetBlue, I tend to watch television channels instead of paying $5 for an on-demand movie. Although some airlines provide phones onboard their planes, does anybody actually use them?
Since inflight Internet is a new phenomenon, the airline industry has plenty of time to make customer-orientated changes. Perhaps you will be able to order Internet services when you’re purchasing your ticket. If you’re flying with an airline that has checked luggage fees, you might have the option to combine charges.
After years of charging customers, most luxury hotels no longer charge for Internet access. Maybe there will also be a day when Internet on all flights will be free. It might not happen anytime soon because it costs approximately $100,000 to outfit an aircraft with equipment. However, there will eventually be a time when the equipment is paid off. If competitors start offering free Wi-Fi, it could catapult a trend within the industry.
Inflight Internet access is a great solution for checking back into the non-vacation world. I tend to disconnect from newspapers and television when I’m away from home; the couple of hours spent in the air might be sufficient for catching up on RSS feeds, reading about what happened around the world or even uploading recent pictures to Flickr.
The bigger question is do you really need to go online? The flight between Atlanta and New York takes approximately an hour and half-the perfect amount of time for reading, writing or watching a movie. If I’m on a plane, I like the fact that everybody should assume that I can’t be reached for several hours. When I land, I know that my eVite invitations, concert ticket reminders and bill payment notifications will still be in my Inbox, waiting for me. Flying sans Internet gives me a break from the incessant noise- at least, until now.
It seems that we really can’t live without the Web, even when we are hundreds of feet off the ground. Although I feel nostalgic, I admit that I won’t be able to resist the temptation of having an Internet connection while I’m airborne. I know that I will eventually use my credit card to participate in the newest technology trend. But I’ll still pack my books and magazines for old times’ sake.