AirTran To Add Fleetwide Wi-Fi by July

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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AirTran announced it will install Wi-Fi on its entire fleet of 136 aircraft by July. This would make it the largest airline to fully outfit its planes with wireless service, though Virgin America plans to have Wi-Fi on all of its 28 planes by May 25. AirTran’s service will range between $7.95 and $12.95 per flight, depending on duration and device type.

Clearly, Wi-Fi has caught on as the new “must-have” airline perk, replacing seatback TVs, which replaced, what, hot towels? But while nearly all carriers have either tested or begun installing the service, AirTran has lept ahead of the pack, considering its fleet size and rapid delivery of the service. According to USA Today’s Ben Mutzabaugh, in-flight Wi-Fi has actually been in the works since October, but information was withheld until now so the airline could deploy quickly following the announcement.

But while AirTran will enjoy the press attention (not to mention the head start in the race for Wi-Fi dominance), it’s only a matter of time until its competitors catch up, including much larger carriers like Delta and American. Delta recently revealed it was almost halfway toward equipping its pre-merger fleet with Wi-Fi, and plans to complete installation on its remaining domestic fleet by September. Still, that didn’t stop AirTran CEO Bob Fornaro from taking a thinly veiled shot at the world’s largest carrier, telling USA Today, “Some carriers have [in-flight wireless] on some flights. We’re going to offer passengers certainty, and I think that will give us a leg up.”

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