The only time access is not possible is during flights, where only offline work can be done.

For some, this limitation presents an opportunity to take a breather; others wait anxiously for their craft to touch down to continue with their tasks.

Well, passengers of flights operated by US-based Delta Air Lines Inc soon will have an option to get connected to the Internet and scale up the productivity chart while airborne. The Atlanta-based airline announced earlier this month that Wi-Fi service will be offered for a fee starting from the middle of next year to customers travelling throughout continental US.

Delta will collaborate with Aircell, a veteran player in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to install its Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier’s domestic fleet. It has been reported that the Gogo system will enable Delta customers travelling with Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as laptop computers, smartphones and personal digital assistants to access the Internet, corporate virtual private networks, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, and SMS and instant messaging services.

Gogo will be available to customers at a flat fee of US$9.95 (RM35) on flights of three hours or less, and US$12.95 on flights of over three hours.

With the service in place, Delta is touted to be among the first to provide an enhanced customer experience with broadband Wi-Fi access on over 1,000 daily flights within the US.

Other airlines in the US also have similar plans.

Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc will introduce onboard Wi-Fi service, including e-mail and instant messaging connectivity, on flights operating within continental US at the beginning of next year.

American Airlines, a unit of Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR Corp, also announced that it will offer the same Wi-Fi service as Delta through Aircell later this year on 15 of its 767-200 aircraft, which generally fly transcontinental routes.

Then there is New York-based JetBlue Airways Corp, which offers free Wi-Fi service on one aircraft that generally flies transcontinental routes. Arizona-based US Airways Group Inc is planning to offer Wi-Fi service on a trial basis on one Airbus in the fall.

Only time will tell whether these airlines will be able to get a fast return on investment from the service since the cost of making it available is obviously significant.

But the main thing is, these airlines recognise and acknowledge Internet usage trends among their customers and are responding by creating a service that could prove to be hugely popular with both the corporate crowd and the masses, at a relatively affordable price for their particular market.

Any takers for this part of the world?