MuniWireless

One by one the airlines are offering Wi-Fi to passengers, now it’s Delta’s turn. They will have Wi-Fi service in all domestic flights by the end of the summer. The service costs $9.95 for flights three hours or shorter and $12.95 for longer flights. American Airlines and Virgin America have signed agreements with Air Cell, the Wi-Fi provider for Delta.

Wi-Fi has always been popular with passengers stuck on long flights. Boeing Connexion used to offer Wi-Fi on SAS and Lufthansa flights, but Boeing closed down that business unit.

I am hoping that more airlines offer Wi-Fi although I do not relish sitting next to someone talking loudly on Skype. For the airlines, which have been battered by high fuel prices, Wi-Fi will provide another source of revenue. US carriers are already nickel-and-diming passengers to death with their extra baggage charges. US Airways recently announced they would be charging for water, coffee and soda. Why not charge for bathroom visits too?

As the quality of service on US airlines declines even further (with their foreign counterparts not far behind), the least we can hope for is decent Wi-Fi on flights.