The race is on among the largest US airlines to implement the circuitry that gives passengers’ access to Wi-Fi while flying at 30,000 feet above the ground.

US carrier Southwest announced last month that it was in the process of installing satellite-enabled broadband to its entire fleet, which plans to be ready by early next year.  The airline has yet to announce a pricing plan for the service.

Last month, Delta, the world’s largest airline had announced it has installed Wi-Fi on more than 70 per cent of its domestic fleet, and American Airlines announced that the service has been on 100 MD-80 aircraft with a further 50 by the end of this year.

The move by the airlines to get Wi-Fi up and running comes following a survey by the Wi-Fi industry that suggests that most business travellers will opt for an airline with Wi-Fi services over an airline that offers meals, movies or a convenient arrival time.

The survey, commissioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, found that 76 per cent of business travellers who participated in the survey said that they would choose an airline based on internet connectivity.

Over 70 per cent of those surveyed would rather an airline with Wi-Fi over one that provided a meal service, and 55 per cent said they would shift their flight by a day if it meant being connected to the internet.

However airline statistics show that passengers are not using the onboard Wi-Fi in high proportions.

Virgin America, the first U.S airline to offer Wi-Fi throughout its entire fleet, 10 to 15 per cent of passengers pay for the service, with 25 per cent using the service on transcontinental flights.

Most airlines with the internet service offer a pricing structure that increases according to the length of the flight.  One provider charges US$5.95 for flights over 90 minutes or $12.95 for flights over three hours.

On the other hand, JetBlue plans to offer passengers the convenience of free e-mail and instant messaging services on 20 of its Airbus A320 aircraft beginning next year.