The Sky’s The Limit

Posted by Staff in Travel News, Vanessa Torres, Writers:

Virgin America and Google Launch The First In-Flight Wireless Network

Are you a member of the mile-high club?

Before you answer that, we might need to redefine the term.

On June 24th Virgin America and Google Apps hosted a “Day in the Cloud Challenge,” launching their new Gogo In-Flight network, the first wireless network available to passengers while they fly.  Now, as soon as you reach cruising altitude you can log on, email, and update your Facebook status to: Surfing the web at 35,000 ft.”

Touting cloud computing as the wave of the future, Google designed a game for the competition that prompted players to find answers to a series of questions using such popular applications as Google Calendar and Google Maps.  To make things even more interesting, Virgin had passengers on two separate California flights competing for prizes, including Netbooks and the chance to win free flights and 1 terabyte of online storage from Google for email and photos.

This reporter boarded the Airbus A320-family aircraft from LAX to SFO at 6am PST.  Joined by other tech and gaming enthusiasts, we powered up our laptops ready to play, but it seemed the force of so many eager “virgins” clogged the pike, leading to a 20-30 min lag time to connect.  (A Virgin America spokesperson later claimed this was due to server issues on the ground and not related to “bandwith constraints” of the plane.  Once connected, things did appear to run smoothly).

As the first airline carrier based in Silicon Valley, and the only one to offer WiFi on its planes, Virgin America is trying to position itself as the go-to choice of the “tech-savvy, road warrior.”  However, those of us who travel frequently for business have come to consider our “en route” status as a last bastion of precious downtime – one of the last safe havens that exists only as we hover above Earth.  What about the traveler who relishes the disconnect? Google wants to help shift that perspective, instead focusing on what you gain as a traveler, rather than what you lose as a civilian.

“Communication as related to travel,” is an important sub-category, insists Google App Sr. VP, Bradley Horowitz.  “Gmail  is the cornerstone of our strategy.  (It can be used to) let people know when you’re going to arrive, at what gate, etc.” He claims that “having the entire spectrum of internet services available” will simultaneously make the flying experience more productive AND more relaxed.

Add to that leather seats, fully-loaded entertainment touch screens (I watched CNN while waiting for my WiFi to connect) and the ambient lighting in disco hues of pink and purple and you feel more like you’re traveling in a tricked-out tour bus than a clunky 747.  This is not your father’s airplane.

By Vanessa Torres, to read more from her visit ThatHappenedToMe.com