Until now. Or later, at any rate.

American Airlines will begin a trial of in-air Wi-Fi this year, and next summer Delta will offer online services in-flight. But, CNN Money reports, it will cost you: $9.95 for flights shorter than three hours, and $12.95 for longer flights. That’s more than the all day $7.95 fee charged at some airports (and a lot more than the free services other airports have).

As long as I can deduct the in-flight Wi-Fi charge from my taxes, I think that this would be a great boost to my productivity while traveling. It would actually be worth it to me. Would in-flight Wi-Fi be worth it to you?

image credit: Hoshie.

*Related note: Consumerism Commentary reports that JetBlue is now charging $7 for a fresh, unused pillow and blanket set. The set comes with a $5 coupon, though, for Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Post from: EveryJoe

Finally! Wi-Fi Acess on Airplanes

***

2007 was definitely a newsworthy year for businesses. Some businesses experienced record profits, some businesses spiraled into bankruptcy. Here, in one convenient package, are your top business stories of the year as compiled by the b5media Business Channel:

If you read Behind the Buzz even a little, you knew that Barbie Girl would make the list of the top posts in 2007. Find out what else did.

Brandcurve offers a review of branding and marketing for 2007 along with a look back at what people were talking about this year. Paris Hilton? Red Cross? Disney? It’s all there.

Sure, the hookers got all of the attention but what else did you miss this year on Buzz Networker? Social networking goes under the microscope: what was hot and what was not this year?

Copyblogger doesn’t just offer us a “best of” list – it’s a play by play of what makes Copyblogger a top blog (pick a list, any list).

Doing Biz Abroad reminded us about the pitfalls of assumptions and cultural challenges that you may face in the international business world.

Franchise Pick exposes 10 Terrifying Tales of Fraud, Failure & Franchising.

Greener Assets challenges us all with a year in review. And I wonder: is green the new black?

Home Biz Notes rounds out the year with five popular posts including Mary Emma’s winning country grocer entry and mistakes for the home business owner to avoid.

In a move that stunned many, Alberto Gonzales resigned his post as the top lawyer in the US. Interview Chatter highlights other career and hiring stories of 2007.

For those of you playing along at home, Just Make Money Online focuses on the very best posts tackling making money on the web for 2007.

Leadership Turn made 2007 about thinking outside of the box when it comes to leading and managing. She offers her top six posts here:
http://www.leadershipturn.com/are-ethical-values-set-or-fluid/
http://www.leadershipturn.com/the-quandary-of-ethics/
http://www.leadershipturn.com/the-effects-of-ceo-map/
http://www.leadershipturn.com/the-number-one-world-beating-best-motivator/
http://www.leadershipturn.com/more-on-comfort-zones/
http://www.leadershipturn.com/what-leaders-should-do-have-the-perfect-attitude/

Pimp Your Work reminds us of the best ways to deal with your boss. Yeah, sucking up made the list.

Project Management 411 wraps up a short year with ten top stories from 2007. Innovation appears to be a common thread.

Small Business Boomers wishes you perspective and humor for 2008 with commentary on why looking back is important.

Start Up Spark gets our attention with the top three start-up stories for 2007 and the site’s most popular posts. They aren’t necessarily the same.

Successful Blog doesn’t make this a year end event. On the site, there’s a whole page of the best posts year round.

Taxgirl offers the top ten taxgirl headlines of 2007. Jail, pregnancy and college football – we had it all this year.

The Golden Pencil confirms her most popular post of 2007. Stats don’t lie.

With the end on its way out, the economy is still reeling from the subprime mortgage fiasco and government bail-outs. Yielding Wealth reflects on the biggest stories that affected personal finance.

We wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! And don’t forget to stop by and check out all of the business goodness here at the b5media business channel in 2008. We can’t give you the details but changes are afoot. And we promise, it’s going to be a very good year!

Post from: EveryJoe

Best Business Stories of 2007