Alaska Airlines wraps in-flight WiFi testing, mulls pricing structure

WiFi in the sky is no longer a mobile professional’s dream. Alaska Airlines has just wrapped up trial testing of their own in-flight broadband internet service, and the air carrier is preparing to officially offer WiFi service to passengers by year’s end. The move would bring Alaska Airlines up to speed with competing airlines that have already launched in-flight WiFi using Aircell’s plane-to-ground broadband technology.

Alaska Airlines kicked off in-flight WiFi trials on Feb. 26, offering passengers traveling between Seattle, Washington and San Jose, California a couple hours of free WiFi. The trial was an incredible success. More than 96% of the 2,100 air-travelers that used the service rated the in-flight WiFi experience as “good,” with 78% of them “very likely” or “extremely likely” to recommend the service to others.

Now that the WiFi trial has been successfully wrapped, Alaska Airlines is mulling an official pricing structure. Alaska uses the same Row44 in-flight broadband solution that Southwest Airlines uses to give passengers free in-flight WiFi. But, it looks like Alaska Airlines will be charging for their WiFi service.

In comparison, airlines across the US are offering WiFi service for about $10 for short-haul flights and $13 for longer travels. Aircell has even rolled out a handset-only WiFi plan that costs just $8 per flight.

Look for Alaska Airlines to launch their official WiFi-in-the-sky service later this year.

[Via: eWeek]