May 14, 2008 6:29 AM PDT

iPass to add in-flight Wi-Fi roaming

Posted by Marguerite Reardon

Mobile Internet aggregator iPass it teaming up with in-flight broadband provider Aircell to give its customers access to broadband on planes.

On Tuesday, iPass announced that it would offer Wi-Fi roaming with Aircell Gogo, an in-flight broadband service expected to launch soon in the United States. Aircell's service is expected later this year on American Airlines and Virgin America.

iPass provides mobile Internet access for a monthly fee. Users can connect via Wi-Fi, dial-up or Ethernet using a single user password. Monthly services include all three connectivity options and cost between $29.95 per month for unlimited Wi-Fi in the United States and $44.95 for worldwide use. The company offers Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity in more than 100,000 locations throughout the world in hotels, coffee shops, and airports.

Now it looks like iPass is adding the Aircell Gogo in-flight broadband service to the mix, so that travelers subscribing to one of its plans can get access to the Internet, whether they are in sitting in a hotel room or on an airplane.

Pricing isn't yet known. But a PC World article predicts that the Gogo service, which will typically cost $9.95 for flights three hours or shorter and $12.95 for all other flights, will be a free addition to the standard iPass packages.

Considering that people often pay $7 to $15 a day for Internet access at hotels and airports, the iPass deal doesn't sound so bad.

This is the first roaming deal that Aircell has announced. But given that there are other Wi-Fi aggregators out there, such as Boingo, stay tuned for more on the way.