Taking the first step in the direction of equipping its aircrafts with Internet access by means of satellite technology, Southwest Airlines Tuesday launched an on-board test on one of its flights. As a result of the endeavor, passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and smartphones would be able to log onto the Internet during the course of their flight.

While most carriers providing on-board Internet connectivity to passengers use ground-based signals, the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is making use of satellite link-based technology from Row 44.

According to Southwest spokesman Paul Flaningan, the service will be provided free during the trial stage, with the company later deciding the post-test charges.

As a result of its partnership with Yahoo, Southwest has come up with a home page offer, providing passengers "destination-relevant content," which makes destination information available to them, alongside the facility of tracking the movement of the flight.

The airline said that the trial period will span over a couple of months and, after Federal Communications Commission's approval, four aircrafts will be equipped with the facility by March this year.

Acknowledging that Internet connectivity ranked high in Southwest's priority list, Dave Ridley - the airlines' Senior Vice President of Marketing and Revenue Management - said: "We believe the aircraft-to-satellite technology is the most robust solution in the industry, and we look forward to the feedback from our customers."