Google just announced that during the holiday season, Nov. 10- Jan. 15 – it will provide free Wi-fi services at 47 U.S. airports. What’s even more intriguing, however, is that California-based Virgin America airline is now allowing Internet access during its flights, as a result of a partnership with Google and its agreement with GoGo mobile broadband service. The airline, which has been offering Wi-Fi during flights, was charging $7.95 to $12.95 depending on flight time. For shorter flights, Virgin America found that 12-15 percent of its passengers logged on. For longer flights the number jumped as high as 25 percent. This might be an intriguing way to offer advertising focused on destination points, perhaps, or for travel-related brands.

Google is promoting the offer with a photo contest. Travelers take photos of themselves using the free Wi-fi and win prizes, including posting of their photos on Google’s FreeHolidayWifi site. Prizes have not yet been announced.

The 47 airports whose Wi-Fi will at least temporarily be free include Burbank, San Diego and San Jose, Calif; Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD; Houston, Texas; Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Orlando, Fla; St. Louis, MO; and Charlotte, N.C. Seattle and Burbank airports have announced they will continue the free Wi-Fi offer after the holidays.

Once they log on to networks in any of the participating airports, travelers will have the option to make a donation to Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Google will match the donations made across all the networks up to $250,000, and the airport network that generates the highest amount per passenger by January 1, 2010 will receive $15,000 to donate to the local nonprofit of their choice.

“We’re very happy to extend our Holiday WiFi gift to the millions of people who will spend time in airports over the next few months,” said Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Products and User Experience at Google, in the announcement.  “We know that this is a very hectic travel season for people, and we hope that free WiFi will make both traveling and connecting with friends and family a little bit easier.”

These 47 participating airports handle five million passengers each year, one fourth of all U.S. travelers.

Virgin America, founded in 2007, was named Best Domestic Airline by Conde Nast Traveler for the last two years. Travelers experience  mood-lit cabins, custom-designed leather seats, power outlets, a video touch-screen and remote control at every seatback that offers guests 25 films, live TV, videogames, seat-to-seat chat, ans on-demand food ordering, and much more. Based at San Francisco International Airport’s ultra-modern International Terminal. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Orange County and as of Nov. 18, 2009 – South Florida.