Airline Wifi Prices and Complete List of Options for All Carriers

When it comes to the topic of internet on commercial airlines, controversial comedian Louis CK put it best in. In one of his on-stage bits, CK said, “I was sitting on a plane and they go ‘Open up your laptop – you can go on the internet,” says the comedian. “And it’s fast and I can watch YouTube clips and it’s amazing – I’m in an airplane!”

“And then it breaks down and they apologize that the internet isn’t working, and the guy next to me looks at me and says, ‘Pssstt…this is bullshit.’”

“Like, how quickly the world owes him something that he only knew existed 10 seconds ago?!”

So, it goes with Wi-Fi and internet service, as we now consider it a staple of everyday life – not an amazing technological bonus. That’s even true for flights, as Louis CK so laughingly pointed out, since a good number of airlines now offer some sort of inflight connectivity for passengers.

If you’re looking for simple, definitive answers to the questions, “Will I have in-flight Wi-Fi on my next flight?” and “If so, how much will it cost?” then I’ve got some bad news for you, because there are almost as many options as there are airplanes in the sky!

(But the GREAT news is that we’ve research and assembled the most comprehensive list of inflight Wi-Fi by airline, provider, and even current cost! Just scroll to the bottom portion of this blog to see that.)

When it comes to price, some airlines and providers determine the cost based on if you want to connect your phone, laptop, or tablet. Others set their pricing based on data usage (MB), or by time limits (two hours), by flight time, class of your ticket (Business vs. Economy, etc.), by any membership in frequent traveler programs, or even credit card mileage programs.

And if you’re planning on connecting to the inflight Wi-Fi and streaming Game of Thrones or catching up on your favorite Netflix series while you cruise at 35,000 feet, you may need to ground your expectations, since the internet signal will probably only be good enough to send emails, browse Facebook, and maybe watch a few choppy YouTube clips at best.

Ok, so let’s say you’re about to book a flight and you’re a business traveler or just REALLY want good inflight Wi-Fi. What’s the quick take on which airline you should try to book your ticket with, based on the availability, connectivity, and quality of their internet signal?

I’ll defer to a recent CNN report that summarized airline Wi-Fi rankings by an international travel tech company. They found that the top-10 airlines for passenger technology were:

  1. Qatar Airways
  2. Emirates
  3. Delta Air Lines
  4. British Airways
  5. JetBlue Airways
  6. Cathay Pacific
  7. Alaska Airlines
  8. Turkish Airlines
  9. Etihad Airways
  10. Eva Air

Other notable airlines include Lufthansa (#12), Virgin Atlantic (#13), Air New Zealand (#24), and Southwest Airlines (#25)

Qatar Airways definitely fares well as the #1 airline for Wi-Fi connectivity on this list and is largely considered the #2 best airline in the entire world overall (Qantas is #1).

Here is the comprehensive list with the majority of popular airlines in the world that provide some sort of in-flight Wi-Fi, along with their internet providers and any notes on the cost to the consumer, when that information is available.

Aer Lingus

Provider(s): Panasonic Avionics, AeroMobile, Deutsche Telekom

Cost: Business class is free

Aer Social – Data limit 50MB $7.95

Aer Surf Data Limit 120MB $15.95

Aer Max Data Limit 270MB $32.95

Aeromexico

Provider(s): Gogo, Panasonic Anionics

Cost: TBD

Air Canada

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: A pass good for one hour is $6.50 CAD, a one-way pass is $12.00 CAD, and the
monthly plan is $65.95 CAD/mo

Air China

Provider(s): GX Aviation

Cost: TBD

Air France

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: TBD

Alaskan Air

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: A pass for one day is $16, or you can buy six 45-minute passes for $36, or opt for a monthly plan at $49.95/mo

All Nippon Airways

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: 30 minutes – $4.95,
1 hour – $8.95,
Full fight – $19.95

American Airlines

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: For domestic flights: an
All-Day pass is $16 + tax, the
Monthly Plan –is $49.95 + tax

For international flights:
a 2-hour pass is $12, a 4-hour pass is $17, and Full Flight Wi-Fi is $19

British Airways

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Must be arranged and purchased through Club World London City.

Cebu Pacific Air

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: $5 for 25MB or $10 for 50MB

China Airlines

Provider(s): Ku Band

Cost: One hour is $11.59, three hours is $16.59, and a full 24 hours is $21.53

Airline: China Eastern Airlines

Provider(s): AsiaSat-6

Cost: Free inflight wi-fi up to 258 Yuan’s-worth of usage,

Delta Airlines

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: A Domestic Day Pass is $16.00, a Global Day Pass is $28.00, a
Domestic Monthly Pass is $49.95, and a
Domestic Annual Pass is $599.99

Emirates

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Free for the first 20MB

Up to 150MB for Non-Skywards Members is $9.99,
or $15.99 for up to 500MB

If you’re a Skywards Member, you get
Unlimited Free Wi-Fi in First Class/Business Class

For Gold/Platinum Economy Class, for $4.99 you get up to 150MB

For Silver Economy Class, for $7.99
you get up to 500MB

For Silver Economy Class, for $6.99 you get up to 150MB

For Blue Economy Class, $10.99 gets you
up to 500MB

Etihad Airlines

Provider(s): Wi-Fly

Cost: $24.95 for a 24-hour pass, $13.95 for a one-hour pass, and inflight Wi-Fi is free Diamond First Class passengers

EVA Air

Provider(s): Deustche Telekom

Cost: One hour of Wi-Fi is $11.95,
three hours is $16.95, and 24 hours is $21.95

Finnair

Provider(s): Nordic Sky

Cost: Business class is free, for Economy passengers, one hour is $7.25 and full-flight Wi-Fi is $21.8

Gulf Air

Provider(s): Panasonic Avionics

Cost: $15/BHD for unlimited MB for six hours, or $30/BHD for unlimited MB for 24 hours

Iberia

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: One hour with 80MB is 8.99€, four hours with 200MB is 24.99€, and for full-flight Wi-Fi with 400MB it’s 29.99€

Icelandair

Provider(s): Row 44

Cost: Passengers who booked Saga Class or Saga Cold members get free wi-fi for two devices, but pricing varies for other tickets.

Airline: Japan Airlines

Provider(s): T-Mobile

Cost: One hour of inflight Wi-Fi is $10.15, three hours is $14.40, and a full 24 hours is $18.80

Airline: JetBlue Airways

Provider(s): Fly-Fi

Cost: An All-Day Pass is $19.95, and the Traveler Pass is $39.95 monthly

Airline: Kenya Airways

Provider(s): KQ Sky Surf

Cost: TBD

Airline: KLM Airlines

Provider(s): Panasonic Avionics

Cost: EUR 10.95 ($14.18)/hour
EUR 19.95 ($25.84)/full flight

Airline: Lufthansa

Provider(s): Flynet

Cost: One hour of inflight Wi-Fi is 9€ ($10),
4 hours is 14€ ($15.50),
24 hours is 17€ ($19) and there are mileage restrictions with these

Airline: Nok Air

Provider(s): Thaicom PLC

Cost: Free inflight Wi-Fi

Airline: Norwegian Air Shuttle

Provider(s): Row 44

Cost: Free inflight Wi-Fi

Airline: Oman Air

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Inflight Wi-Fi for smartphone use is $5-15, or $15-40 for laptops

Airline: Philippine Airlines

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: You get 30 minutes of Wi-Fi or up to 15MB for free

Qantas

Provider(s): ViaSat

Cost: Completely free!

Airline: Qatar Airways

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Wi-Fi for the first 15 minutes is free, it’s $5 for one hour after that, $10 for 2-4 hours, and $20 for the full flight

Saudi Airlines

OnAir

Cost: Prices vary and will be listed on the onboard Wi-Fi portal

Airline: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

Provider(s): Information not listed on their website

Cost: Free for Gold and Diamond club members and also free for SAS Plus & Business passengers.

Inflight Wi-Fi is €6/$7 for European and Scandinavian flights, €15/$19 for all other flights.

Scoot Airlines

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: 20 MB of Social-Lite is $5, one hour is $11.95, three hours is $16.95, and a full 24 hours is $21.95

Singapore Airlines

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Prices vary and will be listed on the Wi-Fi portal when you connect, but prices depend on service provider, aircraft type, and time or volume

Southwest Airlines

Provider(s): Row 44

Cost: It’s $8 per day for each device you want to connect

Sri Lankan Airlines

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: 20 minutes of in-flight Wi-Fi will only cost you $2, one hour is only $5, three hours is $10, and for the full flight it’s $20

Swiss International Airlines

Provider(s): Panasonic Aviaonics

Cost: 8 EUR for 20 MB, 17 EUR for 50 MB, 36 EUR for 120 MB

TAM Airlines

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: Prices vary

TAP Portugal

Provider(s): OnAir

Cost: $4.99 for 4MB, $14.99 for 14MB, $45 for
50MB

Thai Airways

Provider(s): Panasonic Avioanics and Sitaonair

Cost: $4.99 for 10MB, $8.99 for 20MB, $12.99 for 30MB, and $34.99 for 100MB

Turkish Airlines

Provider(s): Panasonic Avionics

Cost: One hour of Wi-Fi is $9.99, while 24 hours is $14.99

United Airlines

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost: Prices vary depending on flight and other factors

Virgin America

Provider(s): Gogo

Cost:

$4.99 for flights under 2 hours, $7.99 for 2-3-hour flights, $9.99 for 3-4-hour flights, and $13.99 for flights that are longer than 5 hours.

Virgin Atlantic

Provider(s): Aeromobile

Cost:

For 787s aircraft:
 £4.99/$5.99 for 40MB of Wi-Fi or £14.99/$21.99 for
150MB

For all other aircraft:

A Messaging pass is £2.99/$3.99, £4.99/$5.99 for
40MB, or
£14.99/$21.99 for 150MB of inflight Wi-Fi.

 

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Enjoy staying connected on your next flight, and feel free to contact us at AllWorld.com if you have any updates or personal experiences regarding airline Wi-Fi!