The Best Deals for Economy Class Passengers
JetBlue — a very low cost airline headquartered in Long Island — offers free high-speed Wi-Fi for every passenger. Interestingly, there are no such airlines in the US anymore. Since 2017, JetBlue has made free Wi-Fi available for its entire fleet of Airbus A320, A321 and Embraer 190 aircraft.
Users can stream video and use multiple devices at the same time, unlike competitors that only allow one gadget at a time. JetBlue delivers download speeds of up to 20 Mbps, faster than any competitor.
Australian carrier Qantas also offers similar free Wi-Fi to its customers, but only on domestic flights running on some Boeing 737–800s and Airbus A330-200s.
The Qantas system is much slower than JetBlue, — up to 12 Mbps, yet ten times faster than conventional on-board systems.
Air New Zealand— another airline “from the other side of the earth.” It offers free Wi-Fi with some restrictions. Its Airbus A320neo aircraft, which fly to Australia, the Pacific Islands and several domestic New Zealand routes, provide internet by default for all passengers.
Four of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners also have Wi-Fi built in, with more planes planning to turn it on during 2022 and 2023. Loading speed on A321neo — 4.7 Mbps maximum.
China's Hainan Airlines provides customers with free Wi-Fi access on their Boeing 787–9.
Finally, a budget Thai carrier Nok Air distributes Wi-Fi on all Boeing 737s.
Free Wi-Fi
U < strong>China Eastern AirlinesThere is free Wi-Fi, but with one caveat. The option is still called “test” even though their Wi-Fi has been available for many years. After making a booking with China Eastern, passengers can apply for a free trial of internet access. And only the first 100 customers will receive it.
The service is available for mobile phones, laptops and other devices with pre-registration, but China Eastern has blocked many popular sites, which makes free Wi-Fi less attractive.
Philippines Airlines— another carrier that provides free Wi-Fi for all passengers, but it is limited. All clients can access the hotspot with a 3MB size limit. The plan does not support videos and photos. However, business class passengers can get an additional 100 MB.
Internet is available on Boeing 777 aircraft exclusively on London — Manila and Manila — London, and on the Airbus A340 and A330.
Internet for business class and elite passengers
UAE flag carrier Emirates offers free WhatsApp and other services for Emirates Skywards blue, silver or gold members traveling in Business Class, or Emirates Skywards gold members in Economy Class.
However, free Wi-Fi throughout the flight is exclusive to Skywards members traveling in First Class or Platinum members in Business Class. The entire Emirates fleet is equipped with internet access. The airline used to offer all passengers free 20 MB and unlimited text messages for two hours, but this service has since been discontinued.
Singapore Airlines— the most recent carrier to try free Wi-Fi. The airline is now offering unlimited Wi-Fi to First Class passengers or a complimentary two-hour Surfing package. for KrisFlyer members sitting in Economy Class or Premium Economy. Elite PPS Club members can enjoy unlimited free Wi-Fi wherever they are.
Qatar Airways offers Wi-Fi for Economy Class customers, but this option is much more limited . In 2018, one hour of free internet access became available to travelers. However, you do need to be a member of the Preferred Club to receive this free hour.
Scandinavian Airlines provides high-speed Wi-Fi to SAS Business, SAS Plus, EuroBonus Diamond and Gold and on select domestic and European flights. Flights to Asia, Canada and the US use other technologies with slower internet speeds.
Ireland-based airline Aer Lingus offers free Wi-Fi to its business class customers and AerClub members. Aer Lingus provides download speeds of 5Mbps.
Finally, EL AL, an Israeli airline, provides its Top platinum members with free Wi-Fi throughout the flight.