Next Tuesday will be the big day for JetBlue Airways, Yahoo! Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd.! For the first time in the United States, flight passengers will be provided with free in-flight email and instant messaging services!

The first free U.S. in-flight email and IM services will be launched on December 11 aboard a JetBlue flight leaving Kennedy Airport in New York. All three companies involved in this project, codenamed BetaBlue, were very chary of words when asked to comment about the event. JetBlue’s spokeswoman said only that the carrier would release information on “the innovative onboard product” on Tuesday.

JetBlue and its two partners have been testing the system over the last months on an A320 aircraft. During a test conducted on December 5 on the East Coast, a JetBlue spokesman was able to send an email to a Journal reporter and receive a reply.

For next Tuesday’s flight, JetBlue’s aircraft will be equipped with Wi-Fi laptops with Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger clients. Secondly, Wi-Fi-ready BlackBerry smart mobile phones, including the 8820 and the Curve 8320, are expected to be able to access BlackBerry email and IM.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the BetaBlue flight will also carry passengers to San Francisco.