Discount carrier AirTran Airways says Wi-Fi will be available on all its flights by midsummer

AirTran Airways joins the Wi-Fi crowd

ORLANDO, Fla. — Discount carrier AirTran Airways, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc., said Tuesday it will offer in-flight wireless Internet access on all 136 of its aircraft by midsummer.

Cost, technology and passengers’ willingness to pay for the service are issues some carriers are dealing with as they try to make the service more widely available on their flights. Others say it simply takes time to install the necessary equipment to allow fliers to surf the Internet and send e-mail from their laptops and PDAs from the comfort of their seats.

AirTran is partnering with Aircell, which a few other airlines are also using for their Wi-Fi service.