By Dana Gornitzki

Just when you thought there was one place where one could find respite from the information highway, along came the capability to connect to the interweb above the clouds.

It seems the super information highway knows no boundaries. Yes, it’s Wi-Fi in the sky.  And, more than a modern accessory, some seem to think it’s a necessity!

We think it’s a recipe for etiquette horror even if, according to one airline analyst speaking in the Boston Globe, “in today’s tough business climate, in-flight Wi-Fi is as essential as the beverage cart”. Hmmm, martini or surfing the interweb. Choices, choices.

Thank goodness that AirTran - a carrier from the Americas - has produced an etiquette manual after introducing Wi-Fi on its entire fleet.

Some of its “internetiquette” includes:

• Tip 227, personal band pages: There’s a time and place to share your music . . . and it’s not during a flight. Please don’t subject fellow passengers to your band’s website unless they ask to hear your special brand of music.
• Tip 87, online privacy: While Wi-Fi might make you feel as though you’re in the office, you’re not. So if you’re reading sensitive e-mails that could bring down your company, you may want to turn your screen away from wandering eyes.
• And our personal favourite  . . .  tip 135, bathroom breaks: The lavatory is not your personal conference room. Failure to comply results in long lines down the aisle and irritable fellow passengers. Shame on any traveller who uses the lavatory as a personal conference room (how vulgar).

Also worth considering:

• Dim your screen - no one likes glare, especially at night
• Lower the volume or, better still, wear headphones
• Share the Wi-Fi

Common sense should, as usual, prevail, gentlepeople. Call us old-fashioned, but we’re still getting used to the idea of surfing 35,000 feet above the ground.

Any tips of your own? Do you love the idea of Wi-Fi in the sky or abhor it? Please send a digital missive or leave your comment below.

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