United, a bit late to the party, has announced it will begin offering WiFi Internet access on its New York (JFK)-San Francisco and Los Angeles routes beginning in the second half of this year. The cost will mirror those of other airlines with Aircell’s Gogo service at $12.95 for these transcontinental flights, with a cost of $9.95 for flights under three hours when those become available. Customers will be able to surf the Web, check and send email, instant messages and access corporate VPNs on their WiFi-enabled devices, including laptops, smartphones and PDAs.

United was the first domestic airline to receive approval for onboard WiFi back in 2005 but is the fifth domestic carrier to implement the service following Air Canada, American, Delta and Virgin America.