Virgin America, Google deliver free in-flight Wi-Fi

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 09:13

Your IT - Home IT

Google is joining forces with airline Virgin America to provide travellers with free in-flight Wi-Fi service during the upcoming holiday season.

An arrangement between Google and Virgin America will mean passengers will be able to use their Wi-Fi enabled devices at no charge during flights.

Virgin America serves Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orange Country, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington Dulles.

The Gogo-powered service will be free between November 10, 2009 and January 15, 2010.

"Whether it's using Gmail to confirm an airport pick up time with your brother, doing some last minute gift shopping for your niece on Google Product Search or searching Google.com for a good sweet potato pie recipe before touchdown — we hope this makes it a bit easier to stay connected with family and friends while you're up in the air," said Google product marketing manager Jeff Aguero.

According to Google officials, passengers can "expect to experience speeds similar to the mobile broadband experience on the ground."

Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi is also available on certain AirTran, American Airlines and Delta flights.

The service uses cellular frequencies for communication with aircraft in-flight. Coverage extends across the continental United States.

Normal prices range from $US5.95 for a flight of up to about 1.5 hours to $US49.95 for 30 days of access on a single airline.