Business Bytes
Renee Oricchio

Ho Ho Ho Free WiFi

 

Attention holiday travelers: Google will be offering free WiFi in the skies again this year. Only this year, the plan is somewhat different.

This year, Google's GoGo Inflight Internet (Thank Gawd, they didn't call it GooGoo) will be available for free to all U.S. domestic travelers aboard Virgin Atlantic, AirTran or Delta flights from November 20th until January 2nd. The offer has a reach of about 15 million people.

Unlike last year, Google is not offering free WiFi on the ground as they did last year at 50 U.S. airports.

Also different this year, Google's Chrome browser is the sponsoring brand of the promotion. Passengers do not have to use the browser; just be prepared for a Chrome splash page when you log on and perhaps a few other ads.

A daypass onto Google's inflight WiFi service costs $11 without the promotion; in other words $22 roundtrip.

When you think of it that way, it's like Google ponying up for that oversized suitcase full of presents coming home from Grandmas.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @oricchio

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio