Top Airlines to Offer Free High-Speed Wi-Fi During Flights

The emergence of new technologies is allowing airlines to bolster their inflight internet services, with multiple airlines ready to roll out high-speed connectivity in the next few months across all cabins – and at little to no cost for customers.

Delta, United, Japan Airlines and Air France are among those starting to promote the service, which will offer the kind of internet speeds found on home connections.  

“It doesn’t matter where you’re sitting on the plane, it doesn’t matter how much you paid for your ticket, you’re going to benefit” from the service, said Linda Jojo, United’s chief customer officer, in an Associated Press article.

New technologies, like Starlink’s low-orbit satellite constellations, are behind the industry’s latest move, which also bucks the trend of charging for additional services, such as baggage or seat selection.

The payoff for airlines? Data.

Joe Leader, CEO of the Airline Association for Passenger Service Quality (APEX), told La Nacion that the move is a relevant business opportunity comparable to the Facebook model, emphasizing that users pay with personal data instead of money. 

As an example, he gave the case of Delta, United, and Air France, airlines that reserve free access to high-speed Wi-Fi to members of their loyalty programs, whose enrollment is free but offers new opportunities for marketing and data collection for interested companies.

There will be challenges, however, both in implementation and in terms of passenger etiquette.

Deploying this technology is neither immediate nor cheap. In the case of Air France, installing Starlink Wi-Fi on its more than 220 aircraft will take time and require an investment of “tens of millions of euros,” according to Fabien Pelous, Air France's director of customer service quality, in an Expansión article. Despite these costs, it is expected that, in three to four years, in-flight connectivity will be the norm for passengers.

High-speed internet access will also allow passengers to further personalize their travel experience. According to Paul Chiambaretto, professor of strategy and marketing at Montpellier Business School, this advance eliminates reliance on airline entertainment lists, allowing access to streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime or Netflix.

However, the use of connectivity in an enclosed space during long flights could generate uncomfortable situations, such as passengers participating in video calls or using applications that require constant interaction, emphasized Chiambaretto.

Some passengers value flights as a “disconnect bubble,” while others prefer to maximize the use of connectivity. This balance will be key for airlines in managing the customer experience, Chiambaretto said in the related Expansion article.

Leader pointed to the need to establish clear rules to avoid what he called a “Far West” of interconnected chatter, suggesting that airlines must ensure that basic rules of courtesy between passengers are respected to maintain an orderly in-flight environment.

Tech Advances

The first in-flight internet experiences began in 2004, with companies such as Boeing and Lufthansa experimenting with limited connectivity. Since then, companies such as ViaSat, Panasonic and Thales have developed products that equip hundreds of aircraft, albeit all at additional cost. 

It is the entry of new technologies, such as Starlink's constellations, that is changing airline standards.

Starlink is already equipping airplanes of airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines and the regional JSX in the United States, offering connectivity with lower latency and sufficient bandwidth to transmit video content. Unlike traditional telecommunications satellites that are located 35,000 kilometers from Earth, Starlink's low-orbit constellations are about 600km away, significantly improving the speed and reducing the response time of connections.

Mexican Airlines

Aeromexico is positioned as the only Mexican airline that offers free in-flight messaging service through platforms such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger. According to information from its official account, its Wi-Fi equipped fleet allows passengers to stay connected throughout the flight, with the option to purchase internet packages that facilitate web browsing, online work, and email communication. 

“Although the streaming service is limited to certain equipment, this offer reinforces Aeromexico's commitment to providing an enhanced travel experience, aligning with global trends in air connectivity,” reads its website.

Both Volaris and Viva Aerobus have embraced the global trend of offering in-flight connectivity services to enhance the passenger experience. Both airlines provide in-flight Wi-Fi access, with options varying in cost depending on the route and duration of travel. Passengers can connect to the internet to surf the web, check email or use instant messaging applications. Unlike Aeromexico, these airlines do not offer free messaging, underscoring the variability in air connectivity strategies within the Mexican sector.