Google announced today that it has teamed up with three American airlines to offer customers free wi-fi on domestic flights with Gogo Inflight Wi-fi.

The service, which normally costs $11 for a 24-hour pass (or $5-$8 for a mobile device on a 1.5 hour flight) will be available on AirTran, Virgin America and Delta flights from November 20th until January 2nd. Google announced the promotion on their official blog, but there’s also a dedicated site about the weeks of free wi-fi.

The in-flight wi-fi thing seems to be an effort to boost the profile of Google Chrome, albeit subtly:

We were excited by the response from last year’s free holiday Wi-Fi program, and thought that this would be a perfect holiday gift to help you stay connected to your loved ones as you head home. You can find out more about this partnership at  www.freeholidaywifi.com. If you haven’t tried Chrome yet, remember to download the browser before you take to the skies, or try it when you’re back on the ground.

Do you think you’ll get a chance to avail yourself of the service this year? Is this super cool, or will you have less of an excuse to fall off the radar while traveling?

Google to offer free wi-fi on three domestic carriers for holiday season is a post from: The Inquisitr

iPass announced it’ll include airborne Wi-Fi provider Aircell in its network of services. Aircell is expected to launch its GoGo in-flight internet access on selected flights later this year, starting with American Airlines and Virgin America. Passengers will have to pay a per-flight charge of about $10 to login.

Anyone with the iPass software, though, will be able to get instant access with a single click, according to the company’s just-released plan.

“Mobile workers have become accustomed to high-speed Internet access at home, in hotels and airports, and even in the car, but when they get on planes they have been unable to communicate,” iPass VP of Business Development Michael Moore stated.

“Our partnership brings together the new Gogo service with iPass’ ability to integrate connectivity with mobility management. Our enterprise customers will be able to keep their employees productive but maintain the necessary policies they need to support their business,” he said.

iPass offers remote access for mobile companies across 160 countries. It provides hotspot points at hotels, airports, and other various locations for a flat monthly fee.

I may not have iPass, but I nevertheless look forward to making my first posts from 35,000 feet in the air. Maybe from the lavatory, just to make it seem more scandalous. Hey, it might not be as cool as the mile-high club, but in-flight blogging’s gotta give you some kind of bragging rights, doesn’t it?

Sky-High Surfing To Stay Fee-Free For Some is a post from: The Inquisitr