Free onboard Wi-Fi is the future, in the world according to Emirates

Free onboard Wi-Fi is the future, in the world according to Emirates
By admin


Emirates claims if it could offer good quality in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity for all passengers on its flights, it would do so for free, in the same vein as on board refreshments and personal inflight entertainment.

However, the carrier said at this stage the airline faces a slew of technical limitations and hardware costs which they are “working hard” to address with the industry at large.

“If we can offer good quality Wi-Fi connections for everyone on board at no charge tomorrow, we will do it. But we face a slew of technical limitations – from speed and bandwidth availability and cost, to the supporting hardware and software – all of which we are working hard to address with the industry right now. Ultimately, we believe that on board Wi-Fi will become a free service, and a standard that customers will expect on a full service airline, just like on board refreshments and personal inflight entertainment. Emirates is leading the way on this, and we are working closely with our suppliers and various stakeholders towards this vision, “Emirates president, Tim Clark said.

The airline invests US$20 million annually in its Wi-Fi product, and has reported a 200% surge in usage last month with over half a million passengers opting in to connect to the internet on board Emirates flights, and demand is only expected to increase exponentially.

“It is a fact that our customers want on board connectivity, and this demand is only going to increase as more people embrace an ‘always-on’ digital lifestyle, and carry smart mobile devices when they travel. We’ve always viewed Wi-Fi as a service and a value-added part of Emirates’ overall product, rather than a revenue stream,” Clark said.

Wi-Fi is currently available onboard all of Emirates’ 53 A380s and on 28 Boeing 777s, and will eventually see its entire fleet Wi-Fi enabled.  The airline said it has been subsidising or waiving the high cost of buying data for passenger use.

The first 10MBs of data is free for passengers on its Wi-Fi enabled flights, which the airline said was sufficient for most travellers to check in on their social media accounts. Subsequently, a token US$1 charge is imposed for the next 600MB.

However, on some A380s and 777s, “it is not currently possible to offer the first 10MB free for technical reasons” the airline said, but is working to resolve the issue in coming months.

In October the airline reported a daily average of 3,500 passengers using on board Wi-Fi, at an average of 28MB per user. The highest number of Wi-Fi users on a single Emirates flight was recorded on an A380 with 153 passengers connecting, and the highest internet volume recorded on a single flight was nearly 8,000MB from 26 users on board a Boeing 777 flight.

The sites EK passengers most frequented onboard included Google, Facebook, and chat services Skype, WhatsApp and BBM, “reflecting travellers’ strong desire to stay connected and their use of social media channels to do so,” the airline said.  

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest News

  • Cruise

P&O rescues Rotary volunteers after collapse of Air Vanuatu

P&O Cruises Australia has answered a plea for help from a group of young Australian Rotary volunteers, stranded in Vanuatu following the collapse of Air Vanuatu. The students, many of them teenagers from Albury, NSW, were volunteering for a youth project run by the Hive Rotary Club Australia when the airline abruptly cancelled all flights, […]

  • Destinations

Intrepid continues expansions with launch of first DMC in Jordan

Intrepid has increased its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first destination management company in Jordan. Based in Amman, the local team will operate Intrepid’s range of nine experiential small group tours in Jordan from this summer, with a view to expanding the range for 2025 and beyond. Zina Bencheikh, managing […]

  • Appointments

Minor hotels appoints Puneet Dhawan to key Asia role

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report […]

  • Appointments

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal appoint Evon Ler to director of sales, Asia

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group have announced that Evon Ler will join them in the new role of director of sales, Asia. She will work closely with Tony Archbold (VP, Sales, APAC, Crystal) and Susan Haberle (VP, Sales & Partnerships, APAC, A&K) with trade support across the region. Ler comes to the A&K family with more […]