American Airlines began its first tests of in-flight wi-fi this week. It has installed a system called gogo, developed by Aircell, and began its first tests on Wednesday.

The service will be installed on all 15 of American’s Boeing 767-200 fleet, which mainly fly transcontinental routes in the United States.

The gogo system will give passengers access to email, the internet and VPN services through any wi-fi-enabled device when the aircraft is above an altitude of 10,000 feet.

The first service scheduled for the trial was between New York JFK and Los Angeles International and was offered free of charge. When the trial goes commercial, passengers will pay $12.95 for flights over three hours and $9.95 for short hops.

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Background

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Tech writer Walt Mossberg reviewed the service for the Wall Street Journal and says gogo offers “respectable, if not blazing, speeds”.

Rival Virgin America will also launch gogo services later this year. In the meantime, watch this advert about wireless internet services on American Airlines.

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