High-Tech Fun For Flyers

By Anita Hamilton

Tired of stale movies and staticky Muzak on those long, dull airplane rides? Song Airways, a new cut-rate carrier operated by Delta Air Lines, plans to offer flyers a much needed upgrade of in-flight entertainment.

Launching April 15 with a flight from New York City to West Palm Beach, Fla., Song plans by October to equip each of its Boeing 757s with an impressive array of high-tech amenities, starting with an MP3 jukebox that lets passengers create customized playlists culled from hundreds of music albums. Using touch-screen monitors mounted on the back of each seat, travelers will also be able to surf 24 channels of live satellite TV, challenge their seatmates to multiplayer video games from Nintendo and map the airplane's exact location--zooming in to street-level detail on the terrain below.

Pretty snazzy for a discount airline, especially since all this is included in the ticket price. If you want a Snickers bar with your free soft drink, however, it will cost you $2. Penny-wise travelers might want to pack their own snacks. --By Anita Hamilton