Aplus.net Blog

Susan Stellin, writing in a recent article for the New York Times, tells of an interesting initiative soon to be taken by several airlines to offer Internet access during airplane flights.

Starting next week and over the next few months, several United States airlines will test Internet service on their planes.

On Tuesday, JetBlue Airways will begin offering a free e-mail and instant messaging service on one of its planes, while American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines plan to offer broader Web access in coming months, probably at a cost around $10 a flight.

“I think 2008 is the year when we will finally start to see in-flight Internet access become available,” said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Forrester Research, “but I suspect the rollout domestically will take place in a very measured way.”

“In a few years time,” he added, “if you get on a flight that doesn’t have Internet access, it will be like walking into a hotel room that doesn’t have TV.”

Good news? Or, too much? The article cites personal assistants as being somewhat against the idea, seeing it as just another encroachment into what’s traditionally considered downtime.

Then again, time is money, as they say, and any attempt to maximize work time is going to be a net positive to any business’s bottom line.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments section and let us know.

Check out the original article here for the whole story.