OnAir CEO George Cooper says the charge for the company's service will be in line with international roaming rates. AirCell, too, promises prices comparable to ground-based Wi-Fi costs. Dan O'Shea, editor of industry publication Telephony Online, isn't convinced. He speculates the connection fees will be close to $2.50 a minute — still high.

Until prices drop, many business travelers will try to find workarounds. The obvious answer seems to be Internet-based phone systems. Some executives already use Skype software on their notebooks to place in-flight Internet calls to other Skype users for free. Calls to traditional landline and mobile phones via the Skype protocol cost between 1 cent and $1.39 per minute, depending on where you call.

Other business travelers have opted for easier fixes. Surveys indicate that a small percentage of business travelers simply refuse to turn off their mobile devices after takeoff. One CFO acknowledges that she doesn't shut off her Blackberry when she travels. Instead, the finance chief, who flew 100,000 miles last year, uses the PDA to update her E-mail whenever she can get a connection. "Traveling over certain cities at certain heights you can often get a signal," says the CFO. "You'd be surprised what you can get over Denver."

Arrested, for one thing.

Elaine Appleton Grant writes about business from Strafford, New Hampshire.

• « previous
• 1
• 2