Fasten your lap belts, return your seat to its upright position and log in: Wireless Internet service has taken to the skies.
American Airlines today became the first airline in the country to turn on the commercial switch for airborne laptop users. The mobile broadband service, provided by Aircell, is being launched in all cabins of the 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft used by American on flights connecting New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles and New York and Miami.
Airline executives monitoring passenger response on the first "connected" flights of the day were encouraged with how the service is being received.
"Passengers are very excited about it. They're calling it a game changer," Doug Backelin, American's manager of in-flight communications and technology, said in a phone interview.
American began testing the service, called Gogo, earlier this summer and intends to expand it to the rest of its domestic fleet if it proves a hit with consumers.
Other airlines aren't far behind. Delta has contracted with Aircell to install Gogo on 300 of its planes by the summer of 2009. JetBlue, Continental, Southwest and other carriers are testing similar services.
Gogo works by turning the airline cabin into a Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling passengers to flip open their laptops, smartphones or PDAs and surf the Internet, check e-mail or access a corporate VPN. Cell phone and Voice Over Internet Protocol services such as Skype are being blocked, however.
"We talk with our customers all the time, and they have told us pretty overwhelmingly that they want to focus on data services and not voice services," Backelin said. "Our primary motivation is to provide an excellent connectivity experience for our customers."
The Federal Communications Commission prohibits cell-phone use on planes because of possible interference with aircraft communication systems. A recent survey by the Department of Transportation found that nearly half the traveling public would oppose cell-phone use aboard flights even if no safety issues were involved.
Service provider Aircell is charging $12.95 for Gogo service on flights of three hours or longer. Once it becomes more widely available, the charge on shorter flights will be $9.95, said Aircell senior vice president Fran Phillips.
Passengers on Wi-Fi enabled planes can access the service as soon as their aircraft reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet and the flight attendant gives an OK.
"When you launch the browser, it will direct you to a Gogo page, and at that point you have the capability to sign in," Phillips said.
Call The Bee's Janet Fullwood, (916) 321-1148.
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