While in-flight mobile phone use in the US is likely grounded for the forseeable future , it looks like air-travelers will be able to get their airborne internet-fix soon. JetBlue Airways has announced that they’ll be trialling free internet access - email and instant messages - on Tuesday. The test-trial will only be offered on one of the airline’s aircraft, but that single airplane with internet access will be a much-welcomed change from traditionally data- and voice-free flights. American Airlines, Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines will be launching their own fleet-wide internet-access services in the near term. The service will likely cost $10 per flight. Virgin will give passengers access to email through their in-seat entertainment system, while other airlines will be offering WiFi connections in the cabin. Internet access will only be enabled while at cruising altitude - the service will be turned off while the plane is on the tarmac and during the take-off and landing phases of the flight (we wouldn’t want any fiery crashes just so little Jimmy can get his MySpace-fix, now would we?). There’s no word on whether VoIP calls will be allowed, but here’s to hoping! [Via: Computer World ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:FAA puts its foot down on in-flight cell phone calls - it ain't gonna happenEuropean Union may be getting in-flight cellphone use soonAirCell Down But Not Out - Will Provide In-Flight 'WiFi In The Sky'Europe gives airlines green-light for in-flight cell phone calls!Qantas To Test In-Flight Text Messaging

Paper-based boarding passes are about to be a thing of the past. But, before that can happen, airline carriers will have to make sure that all those digital boarding passes won’t muck-up their daily operations. So, following on the IATA’s approval of a global digital barcode standard , Continental Airlines has kicked off trials of the US’s first cellphone-based digital boarding passes. The barcodes will be issued to air-travellers at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport, and will be scanned at the gate to verify ID. Actually, the digital boarding passes will use something that us Yankees aren’t too familiar with - the QR code. The square jumble of black and white blocks has been used overseas to great effect, and it seems the US will start to make more use of the information-dense QR codes in the future. Continental Airlines will be running the mobile phone boarding pass trial for 3 months, during which paper boarding-passes will be issued to travelers wary of the move to an all-digital system. We’re crossing our fingers for a successful trial - hopefully the digital boarding pass system will spread to other carriers and airports. [Via: USAToday ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Barcodes on mobile phones will make airline boarding-pass obsoleteVideo: Airplane take off shot on my Nokia N93iBroadcast Australia trials DVB-H mobile TVGSM Association picks Motorola to lead its Pay-Buy-Mobile initiativeAlltel to provide customers with Daily Web access option