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Virgin America Announces Onboard WiFi by 2008

Exclusive:
Virgin America will offer broadband internet service on its entire fleet starting sometime next year, the airline announced today. Passengers will be able to connect to the 'net either through the in-flight entertainment system or wirelessly through their personal devices. Among the online offerings: chatting on MSN, AIM, Yahoo and Google Talk--and Skype.

Virgin is developing the system with AirCell, the same company that's planning an in-flight internet service with American Airlines. Test flights on AA are set to start in 2008, which is when VA says its system will be online.

However, Virgin's versions is really shaping up to be very Airline 2.0, we would expect nothing less from our boy Charles Ogilvie. Here is part of what he told us this morning:

There will be many different products and services with our offering, not just Internet from your laptop. We are currently working on a suite of creative applications that extend Red (VA's in-flight entertainment). Yes, there will definitely be some things you can do for free--we will offer a tier of different choices.

Though Charles was not yet specific with regards to applications, or what exactly will be free, this Red thing sounds like it is shaping up to be a full blown application platform. Gotta be the first ever 35,000 foot API if they pull this off, right?

Stay tuned.

Related Stories:
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
· In-Flight Entertainment coverage [Jaunted]