Orbitz's business service arm asked 640 business travelers about their interest in sky-hi Wi-Fi: The results are lackluster, but there's an important proviso. Orbitz found that only 8 percent of those surveyed thought Wi-Fi was important enough to take a "less convenient or more expensive" flight, while 56 percent didn't think Internet access was a necessity, and 36 percent said they'd look for a Wi-Fi-equipped flight but apparently not work hard for it.
But that's before virtually any domestic business traveler has used in-flight broadband. My expectation is that as service becomes available, people start relying on it, just as they do with a cell phone. Few business people needed to make a call away from a landline or phone booth before cells were common and reliable, too.