I wonder if this is the start date or the date it's expected to be available on all the scheduled aircraft. Based on the large number of aircraft involved I'd guess it's the start date for the first aircraft. I can't imagine all of the installations being complete in one year:
The service is expected to be available to customers on flights operating within the continental United States beginning in January 2009.
Doesn't JetBlue offer this for free? I wonder if CO will offer it for free to Florida?
Continental will offer complimentary access to the system to all first-class customers. Economy-class customers will be able to access the system by paying a $6 access fee.
This sounds interesting:
In addition, Continental will offer complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity services allowing customers to access e-mail and instant messaging subject to LiveTV being able to offer the service, which is still in the testing phase. Customers will be able to use the service with Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, BlackBerries and laptops to connect to work, friends and family via Yahoo!(R) Mail, Yahoo!(R) Messenger and BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry(R) Messenger services.