Stay Connected, Even At 35,000 Feet In The Air

Today it was announced on The Middle Seat, that Delta will be providing their passengers with Wi-Fi access mid flight. Delta is hoping to have 75 planes with Wi-Fi access by the end of this year and have all of their planes with Wi-Fi by summer 2009. 

Delta is planning on charging for the connivence of using Wi-Fi mid air. The price will range from $9.95 for flights that are under three hours and $12.95 for flights that are longer than three hours. This will give Delta another source of revenue; although passengers might be more willing to pay for Wi-Fi than having to pay to check their bags. 

The question then becomes will travelers want to be connected all the time? It used to be that one could relax (although the seats are not that comfortable) during their flights. The time during a flight one could catch up on reading, sleeping, or watching their favorite movie. Now that Wi-Fi is being offered the business traveler might be tempted to stay connected throughout their entire trip. 

Expect other airlines to follow suit.