Will there be Wi-Fi on your flight? Which airlines have it and what it costs

Available on the carrier’s Boeing 777s, A330s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners, inflight Wi-Fi costs $CAD6.50 ($A7.25) per hour or $CAD21 ($A23.40) for a flight pass. Members of Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program get free unlimited messaging, as do members of strategic partner airlines within Star Alliance plus Emirates.

Air New Zealand

The airline’s Airbus A320neos, 777s and the majority of its 787 Dreamliners are now Wi-Fi enabled, onboard Wi-Fi is free for all passengers and connectivity is simple. Bandwidth is sufficient for web browsing, email and interacting with social media but not for video streaming.

American Airlines

High-speed Wi-Fi is available on a pay-for-use basis on most of AA’s domestic flights and also on international flights aboard the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The cost varies with flight length, from $US10 ($A15.25) on short-haul flights to $US35 ($A53.50) on a long-haul international service.

ANA

Available on most of the airline’s B777-300ER and B767-300ER aircraft, inflight Wi-Fi is free for first class passengers, others pay $US4.95 ($7.55) for 30 minutes Wi-Fi access, capped at 15 MB, $US8.95 ($13.65) for one hour limited to 30 MB and $US19.95 ($30.50) for full flight access, with a 100 MB limit.

Asiana

The South Korea-based carrier offers in-flight Wi-Fi aboard its A350 aircraft used for long-haul services. Plans can be purchased onboard at a cost of $US11.95 ($A18.25) for one hour online, $US16.95 ($A25.90) for three hours or $US21.95 ($A33.50) for unlimited use on a single flight.

British Airways

Most of the BA fleet now has Wi-Fi available onboard. There are two packages, one for messaging only, which costs from £1.99 ($A3.80) on short-haul flights to £4.99 ($A9.55) on long-haul flights, and a Browse & Stream package, from £4.99 ($A9.55) aboard short-haul flights to £21.99 ($A42) on long-haul flights. Wi-Fi is free only for first class travellers.

Cathay Pacific

First class passengers enjoy complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi, but even business flyers must pay. The cost depends on flight time, starting at $US12.95 ($A19.80) for a flight of six hours or less, $US19.95 ($A30.50) for a longer flight. For flight times of six hours or less, Message Pass is available at $US3.95 ($A6.00).

China Airlines

The airline has a complicated Wi-Fi program aboard its wide-body aircraft which gives the airline’s business class flyers and Gold and Emerald frequent flyers complimentary Wi-Fi. Other passengers can purchase packages, from $US3.25 ($A5.00) for 15 MB limited to a slow 64 Kbps, to $US21.95 ($A33.50) for 24 hours of unlimited data.

Delta

The first major US carrier to introduce free Wi-Fi for all SkyMiles Members on most domestic services in February 2023, Delta plans to have its entire fleet connected by the end of 2024. Non-SkyMiles have the option to join the program directly from the Wi-Fi login page, according to Delta. Those who choose not to join pay a flat $US10 ($A15.30) fee for access for the entire flight duration. Flyers can connect multiple devices at the same time, and Delta claims to offer streaming-quality connectivity throughout the aircraft.

Emirates

Since May 2023, all Emirates Skywards passengers enjoy free Wi-Fi; however, this is a throttled-back service. Connectivity allows basic in-flight messaging, but not even downloading mail or checking social media. First class Skywards members have unlimited free and full Wi-Fi, and so do Silver, Gold, and Platinum Skywards members flying business class and Platinum Skywards members in any class. Skywards members outside these categories have the option to pay for internet connectivity at a cost of $US9.99-19.99 ($A15.30-30.60), depending on the length of the flight.

Etihad

All passengers can enjoy basic connectivity that allows messaging by signing in with Etihad Guest membership, or enrolling online pre-flight. Passengers wanting more bandwidth can sign up for Etihad’s Surf Wi-Fly plans, which delivers unlimited data at a cost of $US9.99 ($A15.30) for flights under seven hours, or $US19.99 ($A30.60) for longer flights. Only flyers travelling in first class, Guest Platinum or the invitation-only Etihad Guest Exclusive tier have free access to the Surf package.

Fiji Airways

Economy class passengers aboard the airline’s A350-900 services between Australia and Nadi get 15 minutes of free messaging while those in business have full bandwidth Wi-Fi free of charge. Economy passengers looking for more online time or better services have several pay-for-use plans. Light Web, which allows for light browsing and e-mail, costs $US4.95 ($A7.55). Standard Web costs $US7.95 ($A12.15) while the full bandwidth Web Plus costs $US14.95 ($A22.85).

Japan Airlines

Most JAL flights offer W-Fi connectivity. The one-hour plan costs $US10.15 ($A15.50), three hours costs $US14.40 ($A22) and 24 hours costs $US18.80 ($A28.70). Only first class passengers have free access. JAL took the award for Best Wi-Fi in Eastern Asia at the 2023 Passenger Choice Award by APEX, held in Singapore in November, 2022.

Korean Air

Passengers have various Wi-Fi options aboard Korean’s Boeing 737-8 and Airbus A321-neo aircraft while the rollout to the rest of the fleet is in progress. Messaging only on a short-haul flight costs $US4.95 ($A7.55) and $US5.95 ($A9.10) on a long-haul. Full-bandwidth internet connectivity costs $US11.95 ($18.25) on a short-haul flight, $US20.95 ($A32) on a long-haul.

Malaysia Airlines

Unlimited Wi-Fi is available on all the airline’s A350 and selected A330 aircraft, free for all classes. The airline is planning to add Wi-Fi capability to some of its single-aisle aircraft.

Qantas

Free Wi-Fi is available on all Qantas domestic flights and selected international flights aboard A330-200D and B737-800 aircraft to destinations including Singapore, Bali, Jakarta and Manila, however coverage may be limited to flights over the Australian mainland. Qantas uses the Sky Muster satellites to provide internet connectivity, and their role is to deliver the NBN network to homes and businesses in regional and remote Australia, not to aircraft.

Qatar

Wi-Fi is currently available on Qatar’s B777 aircraft, A350-900s, A350-1000s and B787-9 Dreamliners outfitted with Inmarsat’s GX aviation technology, which applies to most of the airline’s fleet. Privilege club members get one hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi, but Qatar’s unlimited data is one of the cheapest. For passengers who pre-purchase in-flight Wi-Fi at the airline’s website (qatarairways.com) the cost of the Super Wi-Fi package is $US8 ($A12.20), or $US10 ($A15.30) for those who purchase onboard.

Singapore Airlines

First and business class passengers get free, unlimited Wi-Fi. So do economy and premium economy flyers, provided they’re KrisFlyer members. For non-members flying economy, becoming a KrisFlyer member is free (singaporeair.com). There is also an option to pay, from $US3.99 ($A6.10) for one-hour to $US15.99 ($A24.40) for an entire flight, but why would you?

Thai Airways

Sky Connect is available on most of Thai’s B787, A350 and B777-300ER aircraft. The Unlimited Chatting package, which can be used with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat and similar services, costs $US7.99 ($A12.20), Unlimited Surfing is $US24.99 ($A38.20) while Unlimited Streaming costs $US39.99 ($A61.10). The cost is the same regardless of class.

United

On US domestic and short-haul international flights including to Mexico and Canada, the cost of Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members is $US8 ($A12.20) and $US10 ($A15.30) for non-members. For all other flights, prices depend on destination and flight length. For a flight between Australia and the US expect to pay around $US30 ($A45.80) for full-flight connectivity.

Virgin Australia

The airline is currently rolling out Wi-Fi connectivity across its fleet, expected to be completed by mid-2024. On those aircraft where it is available, the cost is $10 for 30 minutes or $20 for the entire flight duration. Velocity Platinum and Business Class guests have complimentary access.