American Airlines and AirCell announced this week a plan to launch in-flight Wi-Fi service on intercontinental flights in 2008 after a testing period.

The service, reported Wednesday, will use AirCell's air-to-ground network. Passenger testing will be conducted on American Airlines' fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft.

AirCell, a provider of data and voice communications on business jets, purchased spectrum for its service after Verizon Communications gave up its seatback Airfone system.

The AirCell service differs from the planned in-flight Internet service announced earlier this week by Lufthansa, which uses satellites, and is targeted for transoceanic flights.

The AirCell-American Airlines service would provide passengers with the ability to use the Internet for their 802.11a/b/g-equipped laptops and devices. Passengers will be able to surf the Web and send and receive messages, but won't be able to use the service for VoIP calling with services like Skype.

"Travelers are already bringing their own Wi-Fi enabled devices onto planes," said Jack Blumenstein, AirCell CEO, in a statement. "Bringing broadband access onto domestic flights at an everyday, affordable price provides travelers the opportunity to recapture time."

Blumenstein said that a price hasn't yet been set for the service, but he indicated it won't be too much more expensive than the fees charged by Wi-Fi hotspots on the ground.

AirCell announced broadband for business planes in March. That service covers the United States from coast to coast and border to border. The system provides uninterrupted service to planes flying across the country, as signals automatically transition among ground stations and the planes.