The Lufthansa Group is to roll out its FlyNet wifi service on short- and medium-haul planes over the coming months.

By the end of March, 20 A320-family Lufthansa aircraft will be fitted with technology to allow passengers to get online. The airline announced plans to introduce the service in June last year.

By April, 31 Austrian Airlines planes will receive the capability; and by the summer, 69 Eurowings aircraft will also have wifi. By summer 2018, the whole A320 fleet will be wifi-enabled.

Passengers aboard the first ten Lufthansa and Austrian aircraft will be offered free internet for the duration of the test phase. The free trial period (over the first quarter of the year) will allow the group to collect data on how people use the onboard wifi.

After its official market launch, passengers can pick between three services:

  • FlyNet Message costs €3 and allows you to use email, iMessage or WhatsApp
  • FlyNet Surf allows passengers to surf the web for €7
  • FlyNet Stream, at €12, also allows video streaming

The packages can be paid for via credit or debit card and through payment services such as Paypal.

Harry Hohmeister, who sits on the board of directors of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and is responsible for Hub Management, says: “I am pleased that we can soon offer broadband internet to our passengers on inner-European flights, giving them the chance to have a seamless digital experience.”

Lufthansa launched its first aircraft with onboard internet access in 2003. Since June 2015, FlyNet has been available on 107 long-haul Lufthansa planes, priced by the hour.

Lufthansa Group’s Swiss has also started offering wifi on its long-haul flights. The possibility of extending the service to its short-haul and mid-range flights is now under consideration.

lufthansa.com