Budget airline launches in-flight wi-fi

Low-cost airline JetBlue has equipped one of its Airbus A320 planes with an onboard wireless network and has forged partnerships with Yahoo! and RIM to give passengers access to email and instant messaging functions while in the air. The airline considers the plane - nicknamed 'BetaBlue' - to be an early-stage test as the company explores expanding in-flight communication options.

Wireless from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more…

A is for Antivirus
B is for Bluetooth
C is for The Cloud
D is for dotMobi
E is for Email
F is for FMC
G is for GPS
H is for HSDPA
I is for i-mode
J is for Japan Air
K is for Korea
L is for LBS
M is for M2M
N is for NFC
O is for Operating systems
P is for Pubs
Q is for QoS
R is for Roaming
S is for Satellite
T is for TV
U is for UMTS
V is for Virgin
W is for WiMax
X is for XDA
Y is for Yucca
Z is for Zigbee

Passengers won't be able to access the full web. But if they bring wi-fi-equipped laptops along, they can access lightweight versions of Yahoo! email and instant messaging services. BlackBerry owners who have wi-fi-enabled handsets will be able to access their personal and corporate email. BlackBerry models that don't have wi-fi won't be compatible.

The plane will take its inaugural flight on Tuesday, from New York to San Francisco. After that, BetaBlue will be added to JetBlue's regular flight lineup.

It's been known for more than a year that JetBlue has been planning some sort of in-flight wireless initiative. LiveTV, a division of the airline, was awarded a 1MHz air-to-ground wireless licence in June 2006, following an intense bidding war. After 120 bids, LiveTV paid $7m for the licence, which offers full coverage of the continental US above 10,000 feet. Another company, AirCell, obtained a 3MHz licence for $31.3m.

Earlier this year, JetBlue representatives hinted they were interested in exploring options for in-flight text messaging - but that would require a relaxation of the Federal Communications Commission's stringent regulations.

Caroline McCarthy writes for CNET News.com