The race is over for domestic airlines looking to turn their planes into flying WiFi hotspots; American Airlines is first off the runway. But can offering onboard Internet access help smooth out passenger turbulence created by additional charges for carry-on bags, food, even blankets and pillows? American on Wednesday began looking for the answer to that question as it rolled out in-flight broadband access on 15 of its 767-200 jets now flying transcontinental routes. The carrier, using technology called “Gogo,” developed by Colorado-based Aircell, will charge $12.95 for that access.
