Virgin Atlantic Airways claims to be offering the first in-flight text messaging service: If you define text messaging as "sending short emails to somebody at a dedicated service who answers your questions," then, sure, they're the first, and, I hope, the last. Instant messaging isn't what they're offering; Tenzing, by the way, was the first to offer it in 2003 and 2004, plus low-speed email via proxy. That service was discontinued, but will re-emerge from its descendent merged entity OnAir next year along with cell phone calling in flight.

You have to tell me why anyone would pay whatever ridiculous fee Richard Branson--now the world's third greatest billionaire--will demand from passengers to ask, for instance, "the best way to chat up the cabin crew" according to a Virgin spokeswoman (and isn't that a nice double entrendre on top of that nonsensical query) quoted in this Reuters story.

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