Is Airline WiFi Worth It?

In the seemingly inevitable march toward a completely connected world, many airlines have been rolling out WiFi service on selected planes. And I have to say, I'm not sure I'm a big fan of this initiative.

While I do think it's cool that I can now check my e-mail or get the American Idol results (a travesty last night, by the way) as I'm winging over Iowa, part of me is sad to see the end of the enforced off-the-radar era.

I actually used to enjoy business flying simply because I was completely unreachable for a time, through no fault of my own. I could sit back, sip my ginger ale and either work on my laptop without distraction -- or even (gasp!) crack open a new novel and recharge my batteries for a while. I was in a blissful cone of silence.

But with WiFi on planes, there'll be no excuse for being out of touch. Being at 30,000 feet will be no reason to miss that boring conference call. Or for letting that pain-in-the-tail client go to voicemail. Or for not liveblogging your trip and Twittering about the in-flight movie.

And of course, unfettered access comes at more than a personal price: It's also going to cost you some cash. Access prices range from $7.95, for people with handheld wireless devices, to $12.95 per flight.

If you're traveling for work on an expense account, yes, it's a no-brainer to shell out for access. But what if you're not? Independent businesspeople and employees lower on the food chain can now face the unenviable choice of either springing for WiFi to "stay productive" as they travel, or facing the potential wrath of employers and clients for being out of touch.

But the WiFi tide seems inevitable. All Virgin America planes are now equipped with WiFi, and many other carriers -- including Delta and American -- are planning to follow suit by late next year. Pretty soon, there won't be anyplace left where we're not reachable, and expected to be reachable, 24/7.

I guess that's the price of progress.

(image by arvindgrover via Flickr, CC 2.0)