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JetBlue this week launched the maiden voyage of BetaBlue, an Airbus A320, the first aircraft in its fleet to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi.

On a flight from New York to San Francisco passengers were treated to free in-flight Wi-Fi access thanks to a partnership with Yahoo! and BlackBerry-maker RIM. Also thanks to Yahoo! and RIM, Internet access was limited to Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Instant Messenger, and BlackBerry e-mail and messaging.

Direct Web access and access to other services—such as AOL Instant Messenger—are not permitted. iPhones are also not compatible with the service.

JetBlue will provide this limited Wi-Fi access only on a small number of transcontinental flights, but it is expected to expand (or roll back) the service based on customer feedback.

Virgin America had previously announced plans to roll out a more extensive wireless broadband initiative in its fleet next year. It has partnered with AirCell, as has American Airlines.

[For more on in-flight Wi-Fi, read: "In-Flight, Online" at Wi-Fi Planet, from which this story was adapted.]