Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Flying with Overseas Wi-Fi

When you’re on the road as much as I am, staying connected isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity. The good news, boys and girls, is that in-flight Wi-Fi on international flights is now taking off.

What’s the difference between domestic and international wireless? It’s satellite-based, instead of relying on air-to-ground technology. After all, you can’t install those towers in water.

Delta—which already offers Wi-Fi on its entire domestic fleet—has announced plans to offer satellite Internet service to its international fleet. This will be available in more than 150 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, starting in 2013 and finishing somewhere around 2015.

United Continental has already started rolling out its satellite Wi-Fi on its entire fleet, both domestic and international. That means more than 300 aircraft will be equipped by 2015.

Considering the cost of satellite and the length of international flights, the service will most likely be more expensive than what we’re paying domestically. But if it gives me the option of staying connected on a long-haul flight…well, that’s priceless.

And you know who else will get plenty of use out of this service? Lawyers! Just think of all those billable hours in the air!

For more information, visit the Airline archives.

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