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JetBlue Will Test Free In-Flight E-Mailing and IMing

BetaBlue, a JetBlue airliner equipped to provide free in-flight email and instant-messaging services, will take off Tuesday on the first flight of a projected months-long test to solicit passenger feedback on a new Wi-Fi system. If all goes well, the nation's No. 8 airline by traffic says it hopes to install Wi-Fi on its entire fleet.

JetBlue passengers who have Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and Yahoo Mail or Yahoo Messenger accounts will be able send and receive messages with friends on the ground. Passengers who have new Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry smartphones will be able to access their BlackBerry email and instant messages.

Other U.S. airlines are exploring in-flight Internet options. American Airlines plans to test--and Virgin America to broadly install--an air-to-ground system from AirCell. Alaska Airlines has committed to a test in the spring of a satellite-based system to provide e-mail, Internet connectivity and other Wi-Fi options.

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