Delta Offering Wi-Fi at 35,000 Feet

Delta Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will be offering broadband wireless Internet access service on its domestic fleet bu the summer of 2009. Delta is another in a fairly long list of airlines that now plan to offer in-flight broadband Wi-Fi Internet service, including Continental.

This will allow travelers with laptop PCs, smartphones, and Internet enabled PDAs the ability to access the Internet while in flight, allowing more work to be done while traveling.

The next battle will likely be on the field of the pricing structure. Delta has announced that its service will cost $9.95 for flights of three hours or less while longer flights will cost $12.95 for the service. It is unclear if that is flight time or total trip time.

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Continental announced in January that it would be introducing in-flight Wi-Fi services that would also include email and instant messaging services on flights within the continental U.S. beginning early in 2009. American Airlines will be offering a limited Wi-Fi service later in 2008 but only on fifteen of its 767-200 aircraft.

JetBlue launched one of its A320 aircraft with Wi-Fi in December of 2007 and offers its broadband service at no additional cost to its customers, though this one aircraft usually flies only transcontinental flights.

Delta and American Airlines are working with Aircell, which has installed 92 cell towers across the U.S. in order to enable the service. Each tower is said to be able to cover a 350-mile span. Aircell plans on adding another 400 towers over the next 18 months in order to accommodate the growing demand for its service.

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