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In-flight Wi-Fi likely to be heavily monitored by airlines

October 08, 2008 | Online Travel

A reported decision by Delta Air Lines to block "inappropriate" Web sites from its planned in-flight Wi-Fi service could be just the tip of the iceberg for airlines' control of Internet use.

Delta, which plans to offer Wi-Fi on some planes later this year and on its whole domestic fleet in 2009, has decided to prevent passengers from accessing inappropriate content, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article. Delta said it had considered turning to its flight attendants to handle the problem but decided to adopt technical means instead.

In-flight Wi-Fi is starting to emerge on a few airlines outside the U.S. and was launched by American Airlines on a limited basis in August. Both companies will block VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), avoiding the uproar over annoying in-flight cell phone calls. But the prospect of passengers surfing the open Web at their seats has raised some concerns about children and other passengers being subjected to objectionable material, such as online pornography, while stuck in their seats. Flight attendants for American reportedly raised the issue earlier this year.

Get the full story at Network World

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