You might also want to look into a laptop with better battery life. For most domestic flights I have no problem with battery life.

Oh, I was thinking in the mindset of Boston <-> San Francisco which is like 6 hours. (changed 2:43pm EDT. brain == !functioning)

For the usual flight, battery is fine and wifi is a win!

Boston <-> SF is only 10 hours if your flight is delayed 5 hours.

OTOH, wifi + power on a NYC->Asia flight might make economy for 12-15 hours almost bearable...

Unfortunately in flight WiFi only has regulatory clearance over the US, so this is a long way away.

It still won't make the flight bearable, though, because as soon as the person in front of you reclines, you can't open your laptop anymore. This has happened to me more than once. (Now I can book exit rows, so this isn't a problem for me, but not everyone is in that position; especially on international flights.)

Fortunately, some airlines are beginning to install "shell" seats in the economy section, so people can't recline into your space anymore. I think it's only CX right now, though. Here's a link:

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/whatonboard/newecon...

Definitely agree. DC -> Beijing clocking in at 14 hours is just aggravating, with a MBP battery that only lasts 2.5-3 hours.

AA has power outlets on all of their domestic mainline (not AE) flights. Not every seat has an outlet, so look at seatguru before you pick a seat, but they're not hard to get.