Alaska Airlines to offer in-flight wireless internet

Alaska Airlines plans to launch in-flight wireless internet service next year. The airline announced at a conference in Toronto that it will test a Row 44’s broadband service on a Boeing 737 in the spring, and if it goes well, it will be installed on its entire fleet. The Row 44’s technology is designed to work over water and across international borders. That would allow the Seattle-based airline to offer the service throughout its entire network, which includes Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Passengers with wireless-enabled devices such as laptop computers and smart-phones will connect to the system through Wi-Fi hot spots in the aircraft cabin.