On a recent flight between Raleigh and Sanibel I could not help but notice the "WI-FI Enabled" logo as I was entering the aircraft. I figured this would be a good test for my new 13" MacBookPro laptop. The WI-FI service is powered by www.gogoinflight.com. After researching GoGoInflight, I learned that it is available on multiple airlines, so evidently some entrepreneur has been quite creative in developing a WI-FI capability that can be airline-neutral and provide a great service.
So...I tried it out and it worked great, and I was flying coach class. I was able to text message using Google Voice and Skpe. I was also able to conduct voice calls using Skype.
Technology has come a long way since Charles Lindbergh.