In-flight Wi-Fi will eventually take off for passengers aboard some U.S. airlines, but it won’t happen before months of testing and slow rollouts of the wireless service.
American Airlines will have one of the largest deployments, with a formal test expected to start “in the coming weeks,” a spokeswoman said. The test will be performed on 15 jets and will run for as long as six months. Southwest Airlines , Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Jet Blue also have limited tests or projects underway.
Some airlines have already announced that pricing will be roughly in line with what it might cost to connect to a Wi-Fi network in an airport for a day—about $10 to $12. American has stated that its wireless service will cost $12.95 for flights that are three hours or longer.
July 16, 2008
Airlines get ready to test fledging Wi-Fi in flight
July 09, 2008
Northwest cutting jobs, raising fees
From CNN.com:
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) -- Northwest Airlines said Wednesday it will be cutting its frontline and management work force by 2,500 people, or a little more than 7% of its total employees, blaming capacity cuts stemming from rising oil prices.
The airline also said it will begin charging $15 for a passenger's first checked bag and service fees for frequent-flier tickets. It also will boost fees for ticket changes.
Northwest's rivals have also started cutting jobs and charging extra fees to offset skyrocketing fuel prices.
Earlier this month, American Airlines (AMR, Fortune 500) said it would be cutting 7,000 staff members by the end of 2008. United Airlines (UAUA, Fortune 500) said last month it intends to eliminate 950 pilot jobs on top of previously 1,600 job cuts.