BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- American Airlines launched its inflightInternet service onthree long-haul domestic routes on Wednesday,a move seen as an effort to gain acompetitive edge in the troubled airline industry.
American's mobile broadband service, called Gogo and provided by AirCell, will be offered on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami.
The servicen costs 12.95 U.S. dollarsper flight and provides full Internet access for WiFi-enabled devices, such as laptops and PDAs. It doesn't allow phone calls made over the Internet, such as Skype.
Passengers will be able to sign up when they boot up their browsers.
The service, which the Fort Worth-based carrier began testing in a couple of flights in June and August, uses three antennae installed on the outside of the aircraft."Passengers will experience speeds similar to the mobile broadband experience on the ground," the company says in a statement.
American will decide how to proceed after evaluating the success of the trial launch. The airlines will weigh both the business value and the effectiveness of the Wi-Fi network, said the American spokeswoman, September Wade.
With airlines facing financial difficulties due to increases in fuel costs and reductions in business travel, airlines have been racing to get reliable Internet access on their flights in hopes of gaining a competitive edge.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Virgin America and US Airways Group Inc. are among the other airlines planning to test in-flight services.
(Agencies)
