If you’ve ever used in-flight WiFi (News - Alert), which is being deployed by an increasing number of airlines worldwide today, you’ve probably felt a sense of relief upon landing, knowing that you have, at the very least been able to remain at least somewhat productive in that six-hour 38,000-foot-high trip between New York and Los Angeles. 

 

I actually haven’t had the pleasure yet, but know that several of my colleagues have been able to, at the very least, stay on top of the slew of emails that crosses our Inboxes on a daily basis.

 

There has been a concern regarding available bandwidth with in-flight connectivity, but research has shown that, in fact, most users are looking to just what the TMC (News - Alert) frequent travelers do — keep abreast of emails — rather than trying to download large files or access bandwidth intensive applications. The other compelling factor is that, as with the entire communications industry, wireless technology has improved significantly since in-flight WiFi was first tested several years ago.

 

But, while service quality is a question of technology, which is constantly evolving, the other key factor is usage. But, as travelers — particularly business travelers, who are more likely to pay for the in-flight service — have shown, the desire for anytime, anywhere connectivity does, in fact, extend above the clouds.

 

That’s why airlines like American Airlines, which had been trialing its Gogo service on limited flights, are now looking to extend the service to a growing percentage of their fleets. 

 

Having studied both customers desire to take advantage of the service, as well as the performance of the broadband connections, over a six-month period, “We are pleased that the results were positive and have decided to move forward,” said Dan Garton, American’s Executive Vice President-Marketing.

 

American plans to equip more than 300 domestic planes with WiFi capabilities within the next two years, which confirms findings of research firm In-Stat (News - Alert), which expects the number of broadband-enabled planes to increase from 25 last year to 800 this year.

 

“The market is clearly gaining momentum, with deployments escalating in number,” says Daryl Schoolar, In-Stat analyst.

 

The struggling economy is a concern, but that will likely be overcome by the perceived benefits. There’s also the “newness factor,” that is, the propensity of consumers to want to try out new products and services, especially those that, not long ago, were merely a pipedream. Certainly, the proliferation of WiFi-enabled devices can only help drive usage, which In-Stat predicts will result in more than $47 million in revenues in 2009, and will grow to more than $1 billion by 2012.

 

That figure is closely aligned with the $936 million projected by MultiMedia Intelligence last year. Those figures are indicative of both the demand for new services from the user community, and the willingness and ability of vendors to deliver. Now, all that remains — at least until the majority of planes are equipped — is to pick the right flights. If you want to know for sure, book your flights on Virgin America — not only will you have a standard 110v power outlet at your seat, but you can choose a flight with WiFi service.