Emirates now offers wifi on 106 of its aircraft.
According to the Gulf carrier, the improvements it made earlier this year – simplifying the signup process as well as software upgrades – have been successful, and it has seen an increase in the service uptake by 25 per cent.
Emirates has invested US$20 million annually on installing inflight connectivity systems onto its aircraft. On its ultra long-haul services (over 14 hours), over 30 per cent of passengers typically use wifi, while on a recent flight to New York, 66 per cent of passengers used the service.
The popularity of Emirate’s wifi offering can be attributed to the airline’s highly affordable and competitive rates for the service. Unlike most carriers that charge a premium for onboard connectivity, Emirates offers the first 10MB of data usage for free, while an additional 500MB only costs US$1.
Currently, wifi is available on all of the carrier’s 59 A380s and 47 B777s. The Gulf carrier is in the process of converting all of its B777-300ERs and B777-200LRs to becoming wifi ready, with the airline introducing the technology on two to three aircraft every month.
“Emirates is subsidising or waiving the high cost of buying data to serve our passengers on routes across six continents. We foresee that free wifi onboard is the future standard for all our customers, something that will require no charge or limitations,” says Patrick Brannelly, divisional vice president for customer experience (Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity).
For more information, visit emirates.com
Clement Huang