Google Picks Up the Wi-Fi Tab on Virgin America Flights

If you happen to fly on Virgin America during the holiday season, pack a laptop. Google’s got a nice gift for you in the form of free in-flight Wi-Fi. Internet Service Providers needn’t fret yet: Google’s not becoming a broadband carrier or anything, the company’s just footing the bill for the same Gogo Inflight Internet you see on a lot of airlines these days. I’ve used in-flight Internet on long flights, and found it to be worth paying for, even though it’s a little slow with streaming media. For laptops, the service usually sets you back $13 for a flight exceeding three hours, and $10 for shorter flights, with a flat rate of $8 for mobile phones. The free Wi-Fi offer is good from November 10, 2009 to January 15, 2010.

Google’s not elaborating on the nature of the partnership, why Virgin Airlines is the participant and what the Interet search giant gets in return. I’m assuming it’s a nice little PR move that gets people thinking about and using Google services. And for Virgin, it could help sell a few more plane tickets if the prices are reasonable. But I’m surprised Gogo isn’t mentioned in Google’s official announcement, as the service provider seems to be getting free promotion out of all this. Maybe Gogo’s not into holiday cheer, like Scrooge. [via Official Google Blog]