Virgin America Wi-Fi for Free (Thanks, Google!)

By  |  Monday, October 19, 2009 at 1:05 pm

Virgin AmericaI love in-flight Wi-Fi so much that I’ve used it on every flight I’ve ever taken that offered it, and don’t object to paying for it–actually, I’d probably still go online if it cost twice as much. But I’m still tickled by today’s news that Google is sponsoring free Gogo Wi-Fi on every Virgin America flight between November 10th and January 15th. More details are available here.

I presume that Google will get some promotional value out of the deal–maybe ads when you log in, with links to Google services–and am intrigued by the possibility that in-air Internet could go from a somewhat pricey paid service to a free, ad-supported one. Back on terra firma, Wi-Fi is increasingly complimentary (both Borders and Barnes and Noble now offer it gratis). Wouldn’t it be cool if that were true at ten thousand feet, too? May Google’s experiment be a success for everyone concerned, and therefore a widely imitated one…

 
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1 Comments For This Post

  1. Tech Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    I agree with you. Wi-fi should be offered free of charge in-flight. I’m sure providers would get some benefit from ads making it worth their while.

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  1. The Permanently Unfulfilled Promise of Google Gears Says:
    February 22nd, 2010 at 12:30 am

    [...] features are a reality in every major browser, we may not need them much. Between EVDO, Wi-Fi, and in-flight Internet access, it’s now rare for me to sit in front of a computer that isn’t connected to the [...]

    features are a reality in every major browser, we may not need them much. Between EVDO, Wi-Fi, and in-flight Internet access, it’s now rare for me to sit in front of a computer that i..." permalink="http://technologizer.com/2009/10/19/virgin-america-wi-fi-for-free/#comment-35844"]