Someone compared flying these days to a stint in prison. I am sure for many it has been as mind-jarring an experience as it has been for me. And that is why you need broadband in the sky — so you can put on your noise-cancelling headphones and answer emails. Sometimes that is the “zen” you need in order to not focus on the declining quality of the flying experience.
Good news is that starting today, American Airlines will launch Aircell’s in-flight mobile broadband service, GoGo. OK, it’s better late than never. Now, this isn’t a complete launch. For now in-flight broadband is available on American’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft on select flights from New York to San Francisco, New York to Los Angeles and New York to Miami. Aircell will charge $12.95 on flights more than three hours. A spokeswoman for GoGo emailed and let us know that Gogo is on AA’s entire 767-200 fleet which is 15 planes, 28 flights a day. Those planes fly every JFK – LA and JFK- SFO route (and return of course) and nearly every JFK – Miami route except for the 8am flight.
I wrote about how GoGo works earlier this year, and Stacey had put together an In-Flight Broadband Cheat Sheet for you to keep tabs on which airline is doing what.
This is really great stuff. I thought it wouldn’t be around until Delta released it (not for a couple years). All the same though, what happens when you touch down in another country like the United Kingdom? No more connection? Depending on where you are you could sign up for International Wireless Broadband (http://www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com/international-wireless-broadband.html) but the plans don’t cover obscure places. Works only if you’re in the ‘popular countries’