JetBlue to offer some in-flight Wi-Fi for e-mail, messaging

Discounter JetBlue Airways jblu will begin offering on Dec. 11 limited in-flight broadband Wi-Fi service, making it the first U.S. carrier to offer passengers an Internet connection.

The free service lets passengers send and receive e-mail or instant messaging on BlackBerrys and laptop computers.

JetBlue's service will start small: just one Airbus A320. But the airline plans to roll it out to the rest of its fleet on an undetermined schedule. As owner of the wireless spectrum on which the system operates, JetBlue also plans to sell the service to competitors.

Live TV, the JetBlue unit that operates the system, is rolling it out in partnership with Yahoo yhoo and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion rimm. Users can send and receive e-mail from any type of account on two models of BlackBerry, 8820 and 8320. Laptop users are limited to using only Yahoo e-mail and Yahoo's instant messaging application. The companies haven't signed exclusive deals, and JetBlue may opt to include other popular web-based e-mail accounts in the future, such as Hotmail or Gmail.

During a news media test flight on Wednesday, the service failed to start for about 20 minutes once the aircraft cleared the required altitude for electronic devices. Users can also expect several minutes of disconnection when the aircraft flies over spots where transmission is being relayed from one ground tower to the next.

One reporter had difficulty composing and sending e-mail from his Yahoo account, even though he was able to reply to incoming e-mails. E-mails he sent from a BlackBerry provided by JetBlue never reached his intended recipients even though the device confirmed that they were sent. Another reporter had difficulty receiving and replying to e-mails in her Yahoo account.

Nate Quigley, CEO of LiveTV, acknowledged that the system is a work in progress. He said software upgrades will be made to work out the kinks. JetBlue chairman and founder David Neeleman, a self-described "Crackberry addict," was aboard the test flight and declared the service "pretty cool."