Wi-Fi is to business travelers as milk is to babies.
Well, almost.
In a Wi-Fi-nurturing move, corporate-booking tool provider GetThere entered into a short-term exclusive arrangement with in-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo to offer business travel clients exclusive pricing for Gogo Internet service.
Among the options that GetThere will be offering are annual passes for Gogo connectivity, and discounts on daily passes.
Gogo currently offers travelers an array of daily and monthly passes, but currently doesn't offer annual passes other than through this GetThere deal.
The exclusive nature of the deal, however, expires at the end of 2011, according to GetThere and Gogo.
And, Gogo is actively looking to strike similar sorts of arrangements with travel management companies.
Of course, there is another deal out there: The Wi-Fi provider currently is running a giveaway for lifetime free Gogo service.
Representatives from GetThere, a Sabre brand, and Gogo declined to detail the discounts being offered through GetThere.
GetThere provides transcontinental Wi-Fi service on 1,200 aircraft from AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, Virgin America, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
Speaking of transcontinental service, a lot of people are riding the rails these days in the US, which lags Europe in the high-speed rail department.
Nevertheless, national passenger rail provider Amtrak announced today it carried a record number of passengers -- 30.2 million -- in fiscal year 2011. And the record ridership amounted to a 5% increase compared with the prior fiscal year.
Amtrak cites the "continued growth of business travel on the high-speed Acela Express trains with free Wi-Fi service..." as among the reasons for the passenger boost.
Amtrak adds that "high gasoline prices "and effective marketing campaigns" were other contributing factors in establishing the new, all-time passenger record.
While GetThere is offering Gogo Wi-Fi service for travelers in managed travel programs, BusinessTravel.com, a website in beta targeting the unmanaged business traveler, is offering a rebate of up to $20 for Wi-Fi services when the hotel stay is booked through the site.
The deal, good through the end of 2011, is for the site's US and Canadian customers.
The promo code and other details are here.