Live from Virgin America's Inaugural Wi-Fi Flight

This is a first for yours truly: I’m blogging from somewhere above 10,000 feet on Virgin America’s press event flight to kick off its commercial launch of Internet in-flight Internet service. The flight is littered with e-celebrities and a few real ones (a couple of the great ensemble from 30 Rock are here). We’re flying over the ocean. And the Gogo Internet service from Aircell seems to be working just fine. I’ve Twittered, I’ve IM’d, and I’m about to post a blog entry.

This is the first time I’ve used Internet service on a commercial plane. Back a few years ago, I was on a Connexion by Boeing press flight that used ground stations for the flight instead of the production satellite servers.

Virgin isn’t the first domestic airline to launch Internet service; American Airlines has a pilot with 15 planes that have been in the air on cross country routes for nearly three months. But Virgin is poised to be the first airline to launch Wi-Fi fleet wide. Delta has made a commitment—and they have several hundred planes in the U.S.—but hasn’t gotten its first bird launched with service.

The service works as one might expect: Aircell has had months to troubleshoot problems via the American pilot, and we’re flying right around San Francisco, so nothing unpredictable in the middle part of the country.

There are about 130 people on board for a combination press event and YouTube broadcast. I should apparently recognize lots of people, but I am so unhip, as Douglas Adams once wrote, that it’s a wonder my bum doesn’t fall off.

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