Air China in in-flight WiFi first

Air China Ltd, China's largest airline, will become the first in China to provide in-flight WiFi, when it begins offering the service on a Boeing 737-800 on its Beijing to Chengdu route from Nov. 15. A successful test of the service was conducted on a flight over Beijing on Friday. Air China received approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to operate the WiFi, said Bao Lida, a spokesman for the Southwest Branch of Air China. Access will be free, but Internet searching will be limited to certain entertainment and tourism services including shopping, room reservation and car rental. Passengers will only be allowed access while the plane is in the air. They can use laptops and tablet computers to visit the Wireless Local Area Network, although not mobile phones, which must be turned off for safety reasons for the duration of the journey, said Bao. Air China plans to roll out the service to other planes in its fleet.