Wifi on Planes: The Next Big Travel Trend?

Welcome to the new trend in air travel. In the last few months alone, Aircell, a flight technology company, either has already installed or is in the process of installing its WiFi internet system called GoGo on nearly 500 airplanes including American, Virgin America, Air Tran, Delta, and United. JetBlue and Southwest are also reportedly testing WiFi equipment and considering adding it to some flights. Of course, this new in-flight service that may revolutionize air travel for the average passenger does come at a price to the customer. Gogo’s flight plans range from $5.95 for single flights up to 1.5 hours to $12.95 for a singe day pass on one airline to their most expensive plan at $49.95 for 30-day WiFi access on one single airline. For the travel industry and government officials, in-flight WiFi has opened a veritable Pandora’s Box of issues having to do with on-board technology and communication devices, namely, cell phones, which has added fuel to the fire of an already heated debate. Personally, surfing the net while flying does sound like a mighty convenient perk, but if it opens the door to cell phones, I'm not so sure that I like the idea of spending a few hours stuck in a what might sound like a noisy call center. Besides, isn't there something deliciously relaxing about being forced to turn off the blackberry and the computer for a few hours? What excuse will we have now?

Visit our websites for more travel info at www.mondoexplorer.com