In-flight e-mail likely to take off

In a world where it seems as if you can surf the Web from almost anywhere, airlines have been a desert for Internet access.

That could change soon, however, with multiple airlines testing ways in which tech-savvy passengers can use e-mail and instant messaging while cruising at 30,000 feet. It would be a major perk for the legions of business travelers who hate to be disconnected in the air.

Early last month, JetBlue began offering free e-mail and instant messaging access on one of the carrier's Airbus A320s. A handful of other airlines, including American, also plan to offer Internet access at a small cost this year.

Being able to log on in-flight appeals to Dale Ross of Charlotte, who said he travels almost every week for his job as a field service engineer for Mitsubishi Electric Automation.

"Getting it on planes would be great," Ross said of e-mail access during flights.

Ross, 47, recalled how much his inbox filled up and how much he got behind in his work during a 14-hour flight to Japan in November.

"Those times," he said, "you really do wish you had something like that."

Called "BetaBlue," JetBlue's plane will allow passengers to use their own laptops or smart phones to access their e-mail or instant messaging accounts through the airline's Internet service, said Alison Eshelman, a spokeswoman for the airline.

BetaBlue isn't assigned to a specific route, Eshelman said, but JetBlue generally tries to have it fly cross-country routes. When passengers learn they can connect to the Internet, she said, "it is a surprise and delight."

Because JetBlue's service only allows text -- no attachments or Web pages -- the airline doesn't have to address an issue that sometimes arises when passengers watch DVDs during flights: images that may be offensive to or inappropriate for people in nearby seats.

Still, airline analysts expect Internet access on flights to only increase after 2008.

"In a few years' time," Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research told The New York Times last month, "if you get on a flight that doesn't have Internet access, it will be like walking into a hotel room that doesn't have TV."

US Airways plans to test a new in-flight entertainment system in late spring that may allow access to the Internet, spokesman Phil Gee said. The fiber optic seat-back system would allow customers to use a touch screen to pick their own movies to watch during a flight.

Another frequent flier said he can't wait for the Web to be available while airborne.

Jon Lastra lives near Washington, D.C., but grew up in Charlotte and flew from Charlotte to Los Angeles over the holidays. Five-and-a-half hours, Lastra said via e-mail, is "a long time to sit in one spot."

"Yes, they show a movie, ... but somehow they always pick a movie I've seen," Lastra said.

While he often watches DVDs, listens to music or plays computers games on his laptop, Lastra said, "the idea of surfing the information superhighway at 30,000 feet is appealing."

Ross agreed. His frequent travel has earned him platinum status on US Airways, he said. While taking a break from e-mail during short flights is OK, Ross said, flights longer than two hours are too long to go without Internet access.