Delta Air Lines - which had earlier this month said it would cut its domestic flight schedule by at least 10 percent next year - is launching paid Wi-Fi service on Tuesday, on its East Coast shuttle flights. This marks the first step of Delta's plan to let passengers on its 330-jet domestic fleet surf the Net by 2009.

As a promotion, the wireless Internet service will be for free on local shuttle flights through the end of the year. Next year, it will be $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on longer flights.

As a result of this service, customers traveling with WiFi-enabled devices - laptops, smartphones and personal digital assistants - will have access to the Internet, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services.

To begin with, the airline will initially introduce GoGo - an Internet service operated by Aircell - on a Boeing 757-200, and five MD-88s flying the New York LaGuardia-Boston Logan and New York LaGuardia-Washington Reagan routes. Chris Babb, a Delta product manager, said the carrier plans to add "a plane every two or three days", thereby equipping its entire mainline domestic fleet by the end of next year.

Babb said: "We've known for several years, through market research, that this is one of the most asked-for products."

No doubt, in-flight Internet is making a comeback after Connexion by Boeing was shut off at the end of 2006, due to cost reasons. Two other carriers - American Airlines and Virgin America - have already introduced full in-flight Wi-Fi Internet access this year, also through Aircell's GoGo.

Other carriers that have revealed Wi-Fi plans are - Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Continental Airlines.