The go-ahead for the internet on airplanes was given ten years ago. Back then, EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, initially approved the use of cell phones and laptops on board. It was the reason for many airlines to equip their aircraft with the necessary equipment. Almost every better plane now has WiFi. However, if you don’t fly business class or even better, you have to pay for it.
High-speed internet with up to 15 Mbit/s with Lufthansa costs ten euros per flight under 90 minutes and twelve euros over 90 minutes in the Flynet stream tariff. If you book the cheaper Flynet Mail and Surf tariff for five euros, you get a network with a moderate transmission speed of up to 600 Kbit/s.
To date, only around a dozen airlines also offer free Internet in economy class. One pioneer of onboard WiFi for everyone, which made free surfing possible early on, was Emirates. The airline from the United Arab Emirates gave each guest a data volume of 20 MB over a period of two hours. But that’s over now. If you are not an Emirates Skyward member and do not fly business, you have to pay for the internet.
Network access on board without additional costs is usually only available with hooks and eyes. Because Internet, especially fast, is expensive for the airlines because of the satellite technology. Therefore, it is generally the case that streaming, playing games and the like is usually not possible or not permitted because the transmission speeds are just sufficient for emails, chats and other simple forms of communication.
One of the first airlines to offer WiFi on board for free back in 2017 is the US low-cost airline Jet Blue, which flies within North and Latin America. Initially, surfing was only possible via the USA, but the airline is now one of the few companies that offer unlimited, free online enjoyment in high-speed quality.
Airlines usually experiment with their free service in their own country first. Qantas has an entire continent as a test field. Surfing is not yet available on every domestic flight, but the Australian airline is in the process of equipping its fleet of B737-800 and A330-200 jet by jet with the necessary equipment.
Almost like inland, all of Europe is on the doorstep of low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle. Since 2019, the Norwegians have been offering free internet – also not yet on all aircraft.
Air New Zealand passengers are also increasingly getting free surfing, checking email and Facebook
Free internet is also available with Qatar Airways. However, the airline from Doha limits the time. After a quarter of an hour online, fees are due. In return, however, they promise super-fast performance.
But the days of paid high-speed Internet at 10,000 meters are numbered. Airlines score with customers with online service. This is why Delta Air Lines, one of the leading US airlines, recently announced that it would be offering free Internet on the most popular domestic routes from February 2023 in cooperation with T-Mobile.
More than 500 aircraft have already been equipped accordingly. By the end of 2024, a total of 700 machines should be connected to the satellite network operator Viasat, so that WiFi is also possible on the international routes.
The airline is investing around one billion US dollars for the expansion of the on-board WLAN and for the completely new entertainment platform Delta Sync Entertainment, explained Delta CEO Ed Bastian at an industry meeting. The manager is purposefully planning stable, high-speed Internet on every plane.
Because with free surfing above the clouds, passengers should not only be guided to Delta’s entertainment platform, but also to a virtual online shopping paradise. All they have to do is join Delta’s Sky Miles Club. This can even be done ad hoc during the flight. Data and consumption against free advantages – that’s how the internet has always worked.
