United Airlines Wednesday said it will begin offering in-flight Wi-Fi service to customers on some flights between New York and California in the second half of the year.
United will deploy the Gogo service from Aircell LLC in Broomfield, Colo., and Itasca, Ill., which also supports Wi-Fi on flights for American Airlines , Delta Airlines , Virgin America and Air Canada.
United’s 13 Boeing 757s that fly between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport or San Francisco International Airport will be equipped with Wi-Fi gear. United will offer the in-flight service for $12.95, company officials said.
Some analysts have said the business case for in-flight Wi-Fi remains unproved, and the rollout of the technology has taken longer than originally planned. American Airlines first started testing the technology in mid-2007.
Southwest Airlines has Wi-Fi service provided by Row 44 Inc. in Westlake, Calif.
Aircell uses air-to-ground technology, while Row 44 provides a satellite-delivered system.
