Passengers of three major airlines should be able to do all that from the air beginning next year as American, Delta and United start providing fast Internet access aboard their planes.

The three airlines announced they are developing the system with the Boeing Co., and eventually plan to install the high-speed connections on 1,500 of their planes as well as sell the system to other airlines.

Already, rival Tenzing Communications Inc. of Seattle has signed up three foreign carriers for its in-flight Internet service and is widely expected to form an alliance with Boeing’s main competitor, Airbus Industrie.

As planned by the three U.S. airlines, special antennas aboard the airplanes would connect with satellites to provide Internet access. Passengers would use their own computers on board and pay around $20 an hour for the connection.

All passengers on a plane that is wired will be able to log on, but how fast they could send and receive will depend on the number of fellow passengers online at the same time.

The equipment first would be available to passengers on long-distance flights within the United States. Airline executives said they eventually hoped to offer the fast Internet access on all their routes. They said they don’t know whether passengers will be able to hook up to the World Wide Web when they board the plane, or will have to wait until the aircraft is aloft. Presently, passengers must turn off electronic devices during takeoff and landing.

Airlines could also benefit from the new technology. If a mechanical problem occurs on board, for example, a crew member could download data from an airline’s computer. Or a flight attendant could send information to the next destination, where a repair crew could study the problem and be ready to work on the plane when it lands.