As much as I hate to admit it, I’m addicted to the Internet: I obsessively check Yahoo Mail, New York Times online, Craigslist and Facebook. And when I’m away from my computer, I have my Blackberry to keep me connected (phew!). As a self-proclaimed Internet addict, I can’t imagine being on an eight-hour flight and not being able to connect to the World Wide Web. Seemingly, I’m not the only who fears being disconnected; a recent study by the Wi-Fi Alliance shows that 76 percent of business travelers would choose an airline based on Wi-Fi and 70 percent would choose Wi-Fi over a meal service. Well, technology junkies can rest easy.

Photo: SkilliShot

Mobile audience media company JiWire and satellite broadband provider Row 44 are coming together to provide a (possibly free) in-flight Wi-Fi system made available through advertising support. The manner in which the ads will appear hasn’t been specified; however, Row 44’s Skytown Center, a virtual mall and content portal customized for specific airlines, has been mentioned as one place that ads would appear. The ad delivery network would allow advertisers to reach out to an important demographic: the business traveler.

Southwest and Alaska Airlines have already begun testing Row 44-enabled Wi-Fi and are expected to officially launch the service this fall. While the hope is that revenue generated through advertising support would allow airlines to offer the in-flight broadband service free of charge, it’s up to individual airlines to set the price accordingly.

Would you pick an airline based on whether or not it offered Wi-Fi?