This morning while reading the Wall Street Journal I came across an article in the Personal Journal section announcing wireless internet access while in-flight on several cross country American Airline routes starting this summer.  Lap-top carrying passengers will now be able to access the internet, read and send email and even instant message friends/colleagues while soaring 30,000 feet in the air.  This is a great advantage for the business traveler who doesn’t want to miss a thing while in transit to that all important business meeting or conference or to someone traveling with children who are antsy on long flights.  The cost is affordable – $12.95 for long routes and $9.95 for shorter ones.  Gogo is the company offering this service and those that have tested out connectivity have found it to be very good.  I have a feeling many more people are going to start carrying their laptop with them.  Of course down the road, I’m sure the airlines will sneak in some hidden ‘latop’ carrying fee, it would be consistent with all the other fees that are being added but that’s just my thought. 

Reflecting upon this article, while I think this is a great service to offer it made me ponder, are we just too connected sometimes?  Is this another contributing factor that makes it harder for career folks to achieve ‘work-life’ balance?  There was a time when a vacation was just that – a vacation, disconnecting from your daily routine for several days to several weeks with no contact from the office.  Not so long ago, we were able to get on a plane and fly away for a few days leaving our normal routine, work headaches and business priorities behind while we focused on relaxing, having some downtime and spending quality time with our families.  Then came the cellphone and we became  reachable any time and any place , then people started traveling with their laptops so they could ‘check-in’ while out of the office, then blackberrys hit the market and we were checking email everywhere we had service.  The only time we had to truly disconnect was when on an airplane.  We could read, relax, take a snooze or just stare out the window.  Now with wi-fi available, those few short hours we could disconnect and not be ‘in touch’ will be gone.  While we can choose not to purchase the service, will that be acceptable or will employers expect us to be online and working while in mid-air?  Makes you think and certainly adds another challenge to achieving ‘work-life’ balance.