Emirates Sees Free Onboard Wi-Fi as Future Standard

 

Emirates, a global connector of people and places, and the largest international airline, invests over US$20 million annually on installing and operating inflight connectivity systems which enable onboard Wi-Fi services. Onboard Wi-Fi is available on all of Emirates’ 53 A380s and on 28 Boeing 777s, which serve routes across six continents.

 

On most Emirates flights equipped with Wi-Fi, passengers enjoy the first 10MBs of data for free, which is sufficient for most travelers to check in on their social media accounts. Subsequently, a token US$1 charge is imposed for the next 600MB. Emirates is updating its software programming to eventually enable passengers to have unlimited free access to Wi-Fi. On a few of its A380s and 777s, it is not currently possible to offer the first 10MB free for technical reasons, but the airline is working hard to resolve the issue in the coming months.

 

According to the airline’s data, the sites its passengers most frequently access onboard include 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.  

 

Passengers onboard Emirates also have other ways to stay connected with in-seat sms and email, as well as mobile phone services. All of Emirates’ 36 dedicated airport lounges around its global network, offer complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity.