Aircell adds two new pricing plans to the Gogo Inflight Internet service

by Scott Carmichael on

Our favorite inflight WiFi provider just made life a little cheaper (and easier) for travelers lucky enough to be flying a Gogo Inflight enabled plane.

Flights shorter than an hour and a half now let you get your online fix for just $5.95, and passengers who are making multiple trips in a 24 hour period can pay a single $12.95 fee for a full day of access.

These new options come in addition to the existing $9.95 (up to 3 hours) and $12.95 (3 hours or more) plans. Gogo Inflight also offers an all you can eat 30 day option for $49.95.

Some minor fine print is involved with the plans – the 24 hour access plan is only valid on AirTran and Delta flights. The 30 day plan will work on AirTran, Delta and Virgin America.

A full overview of the pricing options can be found here.

With 420 planes now in service using the Gogo Inflight service, Aircell is now the undisputed world leader in inflight Internet access. What started with just a handful of planes on a couple of routes, has now evolved into multiple airlines with fleet wide Internet access – all in under 12 months time, an amazing accomplishment. To see which airlines participate, check out this handy overview on the Gogo site.

Think Gogo inflight Internet is cool on a commerical plane? Try it on your own Cessna Citation!

by Scott Carmichael on

So, we already know that inflight Internet access is awesome. We also know that it is here to stay, thanks to commitments from almost every major airline in the country.

But what do you do when you hate flying with the commoners, and prefer to commute on your Cessna Citation? Well, starting next year, you’ll be able to order your own Aircell in-flight Internet system for your private jet.

The technology used to power the Gogo inflight Internet system will be available as a factory installed feature on the Cessna Citation XLS+, Sovereign and X business jets.

The equipment weighs under 15 pounds, but no price was announced. Then again, if you are buying a $22 million jet, I doubt the price of Internet access is going to worry you one bit.

I could really get used to twittering from the comfort of my big reclining leather seat on board the Gadling private jet.

Virgin America and Google team up for “a day in the cloud” scavenger hunt

by Scott Carmichael on

Virgin America and Google are teaming up for another world’s first – an online puzzle challenge that can be played on the ground and in the air.

Their “day in the cloud” is scheduled for June 24th and will let players on the ground compete with people flying with Virgin America. For this event, access to the Gogo Inflight WiFi service will be free.

Prizes include free flights on Virgin America, HP Netbook computers and a 1TB of Google account storage for email and photos.

To sign up for the challenge, head on over to the contest web site and hand them your information.

Virgin America is the first airline in the world with fleetwide WiFi service

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, we wrote that Virgin America was aiming to become the first airline with fleetwide WiFi service.

A different airline had been telling us that they would be first to reach this milestone, but as of today, Virgin America is indeed the first airline in the world with Internet access on every single one of their flights. Internet access is provided by the Gogo In-flight service.

To celebrate, Virgin America will be airing an air-to-ground Skype call on the Oprah Winfrey show this Thursday May 21st (don’t worry, Skype is normally blocked on all flights).

This call is another first for the in-flight Internet world. Previously, Virgin America broadcast a live Youtube video stream from the air, and in February 2009, they hosted a live national TV broadcast over the coast of Massachusetts. In addition to this, they were also the first airline to inform customers which flights would be WiFi enabled at the time of booking.

It is refreshing to see an airline take a new technology, and promote it this aggressively, and on behalf of geeks, workaholics and Twitter addicts from around the world, I’d like to thank Virgin America.

Internet service on Virgin America costs $9.95 for flights up to 3 hours and $12.95 for longer flights. Red-eye flights offer a discounted rate of just $5.95 and passengers with a WiFi enabled PDA or Smartphone can get online for just $7.95.

Virgin America grabs claim to first fleetwide airborne Internet service

by Scott Carmichael on

Things move mighty fast in the world of inflight Internet access. A mere 6 hours after I posted about a different airline claiming to be the first with (upcoming) fleetwide Internet access, Virgin America has stepped forward as the new winner.

In fact, in just 2 weeks (on Memorial day), Virgin America will have the Gogo Inflight service available on all their planes, making them the first airline in the country to reach this milestone.

It was only 6 months ago that we celebrated the launch of their service on board Virgin America flight 8001.

And sure, it may be easier to get your entire fleet equipped when you are not as large as some of the legacy carriers, but their commitment to providing Internet on all their flights is one that deserves a round of applause.

Until their entire fleet has been outfitted, you can check whether your upcoming flight will be equipped with the service when you book a ticket on their site, just look for the little “WiFi” icon in the flight lineup.