By Chris Rands, CBC News

NDP Leader Jack Layton, right, goes over his speaking notes with Ed Broadbent in October 2008 while reporters on the campaign plane take a breather. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Every election brings new technology with it.

From digital recorders to handheld communication devices, technology makes the job of journalists easier in many ways. But it also can add to the workload.

Since the 2004 campaign, Blackberries have sped up the information flow to and from the campaign buses.

The only respite came when the leaders' tours took to the air.

Since all cell phones and Blackberries have to cease transmission after takeoff, flying offered a chance to relax.

It was a time for many journalists to catch up, to sleep, or on the NDP campaign, indulge in the joy of a Jack Layton Saturday night sing-a-long.

But now airlines in the United States are testing Wi-Fi in the air.

Wi-Fi on board the campaign planes would provide more filing windows than ever before.

A friend recently surfed the net while on a flight from Toronto to New Orleans.

Can you imagine leaders scrumming while in the air, their words being beamed out and responded to, before they even land?

After talking to Canada's two largest airlines, it seems that Wi-Fi in the air is still a ways away in Canada.

The system hasn't received regulatory approval, and the airlines say the jury is still out on whether it's better to use a system of transmission towers or one based on satellites.

So for the near future, the campaign plane will remain its own bubble in the air.