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JetBlue adds more e-mail options to in-flight Wi-Fi

Airline passengers who use Gmail, Hotmail, or Exchange, among others, will now be able to access their e-mail onboard too. Another added feature? Shopping on Amazon.

Holly Jackson

JetBlue passengers, rejoice. Now there is yet another way to pass the time during flights. JetBlue's free in-flight Wi-Fi will no longer require Yahoo or BlackBerry accounts to check e-mail and chat with friends.

Starting Wednesday, JetBlue's plane equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi will let users with Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, and Windows Live Mail addresses check their e-mail while onboard. It also will offer Microsoft Exchange so travelers can communicate with their office on the ground. No Web surfing is available, but thanks to a deal with Amazon, passengers on the so-called BetaBlue plane can log on to the mobile version of Amazon.com's site and shop.

The BetaBlue plane, which often flies transcontinental routes, has been equipped with Wi-Fi since December. Several other airlines, including Southwest, American Airlines and Virgin, have plans to connect to the Web in the near future.