WiFi on Southwest

Southwest Airlines in the US, the original budget carrier on which Ryanair modeled itself, is now offering WiFi on board a number of its aircraft, and is to roll the service out throughout its fleet by 2012.

The airline is charging a flat fee of $5 a flight of any length. There will also be some free content on the in-flight hotspot including games, a flight tracker, and shopping on Skymail and Home SHopping Network.

Southwest has been in existence for nearly four decades, and differentiates itself from other budget airlines by offering a high level of customer service.