In 2021, we’re online more than ever. Almost every aspect of our lives is impacted by the Internet, whether we’re reading the news, watching a film or talking with our mates.
And nowadays that even extends into the air.
Just because we’re travelling, there’s no reason we can’t continue using the Internet as normal, particularly when so many airlines now offer WiFi.
While most airlines charge for WiFi, there are a few which include it within the price of your ticket.
Find out what your airline will charge you to use WiFi in the table below.
Which Airlines Have WiFi?
Airline | Options & Cost |
---|---|
Aer Lingus | Free on business class €6.95 for 50MB, €13.95 for 120MB, €29.95 for 270MB |
Air Canada | $6.50 for 1 hour, $21 for whole flight |
Air China | Free, but only allowed on laptops and tablets. |
Air France | Free to send messages in Whatsapp, Messenger & iMessage Surfing is €3 on short-haul, €5 on medium-haul, €18 on long-haul Streaming costs €30 |
Air India | Not currently available |
Air New Zealand | $30–40 for the full flight |
American Airlines | From $10 |
Austrian | €3 to message, €7 to browse, €12 to stream |
British Airways | Browsing is £4.99 for 1 hour, £10.99 for 4 hours, £14.99 for a flight pass Streaming is £7.99 for 1 hour, £17.99 for 4 hours, £23.99 for a flight pass |
Cathay Pacific | $9.95 for 1 hour, $12.95 for 6 hours, $19.95 for the whole flight |
Delta | Free messaging, $28 for 24 hours access |
Emirates | 20MB for free, pricing for further access varies by route |
Etihad Airways | Free for first and business class, from $4.95 for economy |
Eurowings | Short & medium-haul: €3.90 to message, €6.90 to browse, €11.90 to stream Long-haul: €7.90 for 20MB, €17.90 for 50MB, €25.90 for 75MB |
Finnair | €7.95 for 1 hour, €11.95 for 3 hours, €19.95 for the whole flight |
Icelandair | €5.99 |
Japan Airlines | $10.15 for 1 hour, $14.40 for 3 hours, $18.80 for 24 hours |
JetBlue | Free high-speed WiFi on all flights. |
Lufthansa | Short & medium-haul: €3 to message, €7 to browse, €12 to stream Long-haul: €7 to message, €17 to browse, €29 for 1GB |
Norwegian | Free on most flights |
Ryanair | Unavailable |
Turkish Airlines | $9.99 per hour or $14.99 for 24 hours |
Virgin Atlantic | £2.99 for messaging, £4.99 for 40MB, £14.99 for 150MB |
But is all this Internet use necessary?
We asked two of the staff in our office whether in-flight WiFi is good idea or not — whose side are you on?
Brent – It’s Good to Stay Connected
In the 21st century, we’ve become pretty reliant on our phones, particularly for business use, so why shouldn’t we make use of the technology if we have it?
When you’re travelling for work, you’re still on the clock, so instead of letting emails pile up for when you get to your destination, it makes sense to use that boring downtime for something productive.
And that’s another thing. I often end up sitting and staring into space, so being able to check my emails and stay in touch with my loved ones is a great use of time if you ask me.
Plus, that’s before we get onto the way we watch TV these days. I’d sooner load up Netflix on my laptop than have to wade through whatever they happen to be showing on the in-flight TVs.
But the best advantage of WiFi? When you’re feeling cramped on a plane, breathing recycled air, a bit of online distraction can do wonders for your mood!
Sophie – It’s Just Another Distraction
It’s amazing to me that people can’t stay off their phones for a couple of hours! While it’s nice to be able to check Twitter in the air, can it really not wait until you land?
For me, trying to provide WiFi is just another thing that could go wrong. Shouldn’t airlines be concentrating on getting the necessities right before they worry about Internet access?
After all, there’s a wealth of entertainment provided already, plus you have the ability to download your favourite Netflix shows onto your tablet to watch later anyway!
More than that, the last thing I want when I’m stuck in a small space is to hear a dozen email alerts every five minutes.
But the biggest reason against it? Paying anything up to £20 on top of the cost of the flight?! I’ll bring a book, thank you!