Ever wish you could talk to people via videophone while on a plane enroute to somewhere? Or go online for free while on the plane?

Or wish you could use the Wi-Fi while at the airport for free?

Thanks to Google, now you can!

Google is paying for free wifi for everyone on the planes, and at the airports! Simply check with the flight attendant and the airport staff to ascertain whether the plane/airport provides wifi, and is covered by Google! To be fair, I should clarify: for free wifi while flying, this is available only on Virgin America, who I would strongly recommend you fly with anyway, because as far I am concerned, they’re the most awesome airline to fly with! Other airlines may also offer in-flight wifi, but I’m betting it’s not for free—so you’d be well advised to check with the flight attendant prior to checking for wifi on your device.

UPDATE: The free wifi provided by Google expires on January 15, 2010– thanks for pointing this out Joey!

For more information on which airports are participating in this: http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/

I have not checked it out for myself yet, but if you do check it out, try calling people via a videoconferencing software such as Purple P3, Z PC-100, Viable Vision, etc. Let me know how it works out!

I haven’t really played with Z PC-100, and Viable Vision yet. I probably will, eventually. But I’ve had the opportunity to play with Purple P3—it worked like a charm at a bowling alley that had wifi, and at Starbucks. So I think it’s safe to try it out at the airport, and on the plane.

Although to be fair, I should probably also add it may not work well on the plane. Allow me to clarify. I used to work as a videophone installer, and one of the customers I installed for had satellite for broadband internet. The install was successful—but I immediately noticed extreme latency. That translates into delay between transmissions. It took about 10 to 15 seconds before the other person responded to what I said. The video streaming was smooth, but very delayed.

Why you may ask, is this applicable to using videoconferencing software on a plane? Easy; the plane’s wifi is based on internet from satellite, not from radio on the ground (which phones make use of). That’s the only reason why the planes allow wifi—it minimizes interference with the plane’s radio reliance, thus in compliance with FCC/FAA concerns. So because of the internet being broadcast from satellite, I think it’s safe to say you’ll see some latency on the plane, so don’t be surprised if you see some delay (if it works). But if it does work, don’t you think it’s pretty awesome to videoconference with someone while flying?

Being able to videoconference with people from the airport, especially without having to pay for it is a definite bonus—it’d be excellent to be able to chat with someone face to face during a layover, flight delays, and so on.

The ability to check emails, go on Facebook, and so forth also are most excellent! =)

I found out about this from this Google press release.

That’s an awesome present from Google to everyone!