David Vivero

JetBlue, why have you made such a stupid move?

Sure, they’re offering wifi in their airplanes, but they’re limiting the connections to Blackberry email services and Yahoo instant messaging, it seems. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise, with JetBlue’s legacy for partnering with recognizable brands for their additional services — including DirecTV, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, Terra Blue chips, and Bliss Spa redeye bags.

For me, the biggest issue with not having connectivity on the airplane is more than just communication like email and instant messaging. It’s about reading fresh content from the news and information sources you trust; it’s about allowing a business traveler to feel like he/she is in a quiet office between meetings in different cities; and, more than anything, it’s about feeling like you’re on the ground, or feeling “connected.”

I’ll look forward to Virgin America’s decision to put full wi-fi for a fee on their plane. I’m planning to fly their airline between the Bay Area and the Consumer Electronics Show in January (email me if you’ll be in Las Vegas at that time!). I’m happy to pay a fee ($10, people expect) if it’s the Internet connectivity that lets me enjoy the freedom of my home or office.