American Airlines To Offer Free Wireless, One Day Only
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Customers on two American Airlines flights will get free in-flight Internet access today as American Airlines tests its new Internet service, provided by Aircell. The service will normally cost as much as $12.95. The airline will be one of the first American carriers to offer Internet access in a market made even more competitive by record-high fuel prices.
“We want to observe the performance of the network,” a spokesman for American Airlines, September Wade, said. “We’ve been doing our own internal testing for a month. This is the first time we’ve opened it up for customers.”
The flight information has not been publicized, but the service will be offered on flights between New York and Los Angeles. Passengers will have no idea that they are the lucky guinea pigs until they step on the plane. American Airlines has said broader service will begin in the coming weeks. The service will be available on American’s Boeing 767-200 jets that fly from New York to Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.
“We are really hoping that everything works as seamlessly as we are expecting,” Ms. Wade said. “We want to launch an outstanding product.”