Coming soon: Email, chat, and text on flights

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

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Recently, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America announced plans to offer Wi-Fi on flights.

Starting sometime in 2008, passengers onboard Virgin America planes will have Internet access through Wi-Fi enabled personal devices or through the in-flight entertainment system at every seat. Alaska also plans to launch its in-flight wireless Internet service in 2008. The service will function not just in flights over land, but also on routes over water and across international borders.

After reading the news, the first words out of my mouth were, “Well, it sure beats using cell phones onboard.” Because while I (really) don’t want to spend an entire flight trapped next to someone yakking on their phone, I’m perfectly content to share an arm rest with someone text messaging or working on a laptop.

The only thing that worries me is the price. I haven’t yet found a mention of how much either airline intends to charge, and I suspect it’s not because it will be free. But this is one instance in which I’d love to be wrong.

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