American Airlines to offer WiFi on over 300 flights

Today American Airlines has announced that it is moving its in-flight WiFi service out of the trial stage by adding the service to over 300 domestic flights over the course of the next two years.

The initial trial, which was launched in August of 2008, was powered by Aircell's Gogo system and ran on several non-stop flights to and from New York. American has said that it will install the Gogo system on its fleet of MD-80 and 737-800 aircraft, starting with its fleet of 150 MD-80 aircraft this year.

The Gogo WiFi service is available to passengers once properly equipped aircraft have reached an altitude of 10,000 feet. Users access the service from their computers or WiFi equipped mobile devices and sign up at the Gogo portal page with a web browser. Rates vary depending on the length of the flight and the device used. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, can be used on any length flight for US$7.95. Laptop computers can be connected for either $9.95 or $12.95, depending on whether or not the flight time exceeds 3 hours.

The in-flight WiFi service is good for internet surfing, email, and VPN access, but cannot be used for VoIP^(INFO) applications, such as Skype.