Do you fly a lot and wish you could be more productive in the air? If so you might want to book your next flight on AirTran. The low cost carrier that targets business travelers is the first to offer wi-fi on every flight! That's right, fly AirTran and you'll be able to read and respond to e-mail, browse the internet, instant message and Twitter to your heart's delight once the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet and the captain gives the green light to use portable electronic devices. Besides laptops, smart phones and other wi-fi enabled devices such as blackberries can be used as well. AirTran is offering this service in partnership with Goto. It should be available on every jet in the AirTran fleet by "Summer 2009."
Unfortunately, the wi-fi service is not being offered for free. AirTran is charging different prices depending on type of device used and how long the flight is. iPhones and Blackberries are $7.95 and laptop wi-fi service is $9.95 for all flights three hours and less and $12.95 for all flights over three hours. I'm certainly not fond of the recent trend of some airlines to nickle and dime customers to death. On the other hand, from the attorney perspective, if the wi-fi is used on billable activities such as e-mail communication with clients or to conduct online research, the added cost is trivial.
Personally, I usually fly on Southwest. In my experience Southwest's fares are often the lowest, their customer service is usually very good and they have a relatively generous frequent flyer program (8 roundtrips in two years = one free roundtrip ticket). Hopefully, the "Luv" airline will follow suit. This is a perfect use for my newHP netbook! Presently AirTran does not fly out of Sacramento and I've never had an opportunity to try them. I'd like to hear from others who have.
For more information on AirTran's new wi-fi service, click here or visit GoTo's wesbite.
-- Michael
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