Update: Alaska Airlines now says it will not sponsor free wifi at Sea-Tac. A company spokesman says Andrea Schwarzenbach misspoke. See follow-up story.

Alaska Airlines will sponsor free wifi at the gates and terminals at Sea-Tac airport as part of a new promotion starting Monday. The service -- also being offered at the Oakland airport -- will run through part of July, said Andrea Schwarzenbach, manager of interactive marketing at the Seattle airline.

She made the announcement at the Seattle’s Consortium of Online Travel inaugural meeting tonight, saying more details will be released Monday. Travelers can already access the Internet at Sea-Tac, though a 24 hour pass costs $7.95 for non-AT&T subscribers.

Schwarzenbach said those who log on to the wifi network will be greeted with a sponsorship message from Alaska. The free coverage area includes all gates and terminals, she said.

Asked why Alaska wanted to offer the service, she said: "we love our customers."

In February, Alaska Airlines started testing in-flight wifi on a Boeing 737-700, with plans to expand the offering if the tests are successful. The Sea-Tac and Oakland airport wifi promotion is a separate offering, said Schwarzenbach.

Over time, Alaska also may explore the possibility of offering its customers discounts or other promotions as part of an in-flight online service, said Alaska Airlines' Mark Guerrete, speaking at the SCOOT panel. That could include restaurant or tourist recommendations, though Guerrete said they don't see their core value being an online marketing company.