Air New Zealand
Wifi?
Launching second half of 2017
Pricing
Expected to be announced in first half of 2017
In October last year, Air New Zealand announced it would begin introducing inflight wifi on board its flights starting from the second half of 2017. Flights between New Zealand and Australia will be the first to receive the service, with wifi progressively being made available aboard its Tasman, Pacific Island and long-haul jet fleets from the end of 2017. Domestic flights will get the service last, with introduction set for 2018.
Traditionally low satellite service quality across oceanic areas (over which many of Air New Zealand’s flights travel) has meant the airline has held back on introducing an inflight wifi offering until a service of suitably high quality became available. The airline’s wifi will be provided by Inmarsat’s global GX satellite constellation, and integrated with the Air New Zealand’s Panasonic Avionics system.
ANA
Wifi?
Yes
Class
Available to all classes
Aircraft
B777-300ER, B767-300ER (only those configured with 202 seats), B787-9, B787-8 (only those configured with 240 seats), A320neo
Pricing
B777-300ER and B767-300ER:
US$4.95 – 30 minutes, 15MB limit
US$8.95 – one hour, 30MB limit
US$19.95 – full flight, 100MB limit
B787-9, B787-8 and A320neo:
US$6.95 – 30 minutes
US$16.95 – three hours
US$21.95 – full flight (max 24 hours)
All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) in-flight wifi offering gives access to functions such as web browsing and email functions. Video streaming is not supported, and image loading is likely to burn through your data quite quickly.
For travellers flying on ANA’s B777-300ER and B767-300ER, the service is only available when flying over transoceanic airspace and countries that permit the use of satellite activity, while B787 and A320 in-flight connectivity is available in all airspaces.
Cathay Pacific
Wifi?
Yes
Aircraft
A350
Class
Available to all classes
Pricing
US$9.95 – one hour continuous use on all flights
US$12.95 – flights of six hours or less
US$19.95 – flights of six hours or more
Cathay Pacific currently offers wifi only on its fleet of A350s, the first of which it deployed to Auckland in October 2016. A few services are available gratis – including the airline’s own website, its duty-free catalogue and destination information – though for functions such as general web browsing and email, a fee is required.
China Airlines
Wifi?
Yes
Classes
Available to all classes
Aircraft
B777-300ER, A350
Pricing
NT$350 (US$11.6) – one hour
NT$500 (US$16.5) – three hours
NT$650 (US$21.5) – 24 hours
In-flight wifi on China Airlines has no data limit and while the overall speed may make certain functions difficult, this does provide reassurance for those who tend to quickly eat through data that they won’t be prematurely cut off from the service.
Purchasing wifi can be done on the flight or ahead of time via the airline’s website.
Eva Air
Wifi?
Yes
Classes
Available to all classes
Aircraft
B777-300ER (select aircraft)
Pricing
US$11.95 – one hour
US$16.95 – three hours
US$21.95 – 24 hours
It is worth noting that Taiwan-based Eva Air’s service provider is currently applying for an operating permit with the Chinese government, however until then internet connectivity gets temporarily disconnected when flying over mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau with the carrier.
On the plus side, however, for longer journeys across multiple segments, travellers can reconnect to Eva Air’s wifi network using the same account information, provided the ensuing leg is also operated by an Eva wifi-enabled aircraft.
Garuda Indonesia
Wifi?
Yes
Class
Available to all classes (complimentary for first class passengers)
Aircraft
B777-300ER, A330-300, A330-200
Pricing
US$11.95 – one hour, 30MB limit
US$16.95 – three hours, 50MB limit
US$21.95 – 24 hours (whole flight on A330-300 and A330-200), 100MB limit
Garuda Indonesia’s wifi offering is provided on a time-based system with varying caps depending on the duration. In addition to the service being complimentary to all first class passengers, those in other classes travelling on Garuda’s wifi-equipped Airbus aircraft are provided 15 minutes’ free wifi connectivity.
While the service is suitable for social media as well as general web browsing, regular image loading will likely drain your data quite quickly.
Japan Airlines
Wifi?
Yes
Aircraft
B777-300ER, B777-200ER, B767-300ER, B787
Class
Available to all classes (complimentary for first class passengers)
Pricing
US$10.15 – one hour
US$14.40 – three hours
US$18.80 – 24 hours
Japan Airlines offers in-flight wifi based on overall duration used, with its 24-hour offering also including connecting flights for 24 hours from the initial log-in. Data caps are also not present regardless of payment category.
A full list of the routes on which Japan Airlines offers wifi can be found here, with many only being available until/from certain dates. The airline’s fleet of B787s is also not fully equipped with wifi, so connectivity is not guaranteed, though travellers on these aircraft can check whether in-flight wifi will be available on their flight the day before they travel. Meanwhile, for those travelling on domestic flights, wifi will be free for the duration of the flight on all JAL Sky Next domestic aircraft equipped with in-flight wifi, until August 31.
Korean Air
Wifi?
No
Korea’s national carrier currently doesn’t offer in-flight wifi across any of its aircraft, and has not issued plans to do so in the foreseeable future.
In an interview with the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), Korean Air’s senior innovation technology manager, Dante Dionne, shed some light on why this is the case: “In Korea, the wireless infrastructure is so advanced (significantly faster than the US average) that in-flight internet services based on existing commercial satellite technology would be disappointing to them. That is a primary reason why Korean Air has not implemented in-flight internet.”
Malaysia Airlines
Wifi?
No
Malaysia Airlines also doesn’t offer in-flight wifi on its flights at present. That said, the airline plans to introduce the service on board its new A350s, the first of which it is expecting to receive this year. Auckland is currently scheduled to be the first long-haul route served by its new A350. Details of the in-flight wifi service have yet to be announced.
Philippine Airlines
Wifi?
Yes
Class
Available to all classes
Aircraft
Select aircraft on international flights
Pricing
US$10 – 35MB/one hour
US$40 – 150MB/flight duration
Up until February 28, 2017, Philippine Airlines offered the first 30 minutes of in-flight wifi (limited to 15MB) free of charge to all passengers. The hourly rate and data offered is also reasonably priced, compared to other airlines in Asia-Pacific.
The full-flight bracket, however, is particularly expensive. While it does offer 150MB of data (caps for full-flight/24-hour purchases typically stand at 100MB), the US$40 price is noticeably more expensive than most other carriers in the region.
Purchases can be made either by credit card or by purchasing a scratch card from cabin crew.
Qantas
Wifi?
Domestic trials began April 7, 2017
Class
Available to all classes on domestic flights
Aircraft
One wifi-enabled B737-800 aircraft; to be rolled out to 80 aircraft by end of 2018
Pricing
Free
Qantas launched a beta mode of its new Viasat and Nbn’s Sky Muster-enabled in-flight wifi service earlier this month. Outfitted on a single B737-800 aircraft that will be flying domestic routes during the trial phase, the high-speed wifi is being offered free of charge for travellers on board the aircraft (due to likely last-minute changes, the specific routes the aircraft will be flying are subject to change, and passengers won’t be able to select a flight on board the wifi-enabled aircraft at this time).
Perhaps the most notable two features of Qantas’s new wifi offering are its speed and its price. Qantas claims that the new offering will be ten times faster than conventional onboard wifi, enabling functions such as video and music streaming (services such as Netflix, Spotify, Stan and Foxtel will be available through partnerships). The airline also aims to keep the service included as part of the ticket fare.
Qantas expects to roll out wifi across 80 of its aircraft, for completion by the end of 2018. The airline is also currently in discussions with suppliers to develop a product for its international fleet.
Singapore Airlines
Wifi?
Yes
Aircraft
A380, A350, B777-300ER (progressively)
Class
Available to all classes
Pricing
Volume-based (all A380 and select B777-300ER)
US$6.99 – 15MB
US$12.99 – 30MB
US$19.99 – 50MB
Time-based (All A350 and select B777-300ER)
US$11.95 – one hour
US$16.95 – three hours
US$21.95 – 24 hours
Singapore Airlines has a somewhat complicated pricing structure regarding its in-flight wifi, owing largely to its partnership with two different providers, Onair and Panasonic. As such, price plans come in two variations, depending on provider and the type of aircraft – volume based or time based.
Prices tend to be more expensive than the majority of other Asia-Pacific airlines – most notably its highest-volume 50MB bracket offering about half as much data as that offered by most other airlines’ top bracket (100MB), but still costing a similar price.
What’s also worth noting is that volume-based plans are only valid for the leg on which they are purchased. An onward journey, even if it is on the next sector of the same flight, requires another purchase. Time-based purchases, however, can be transferred across multi-sector flights.
Thai Airways
Wifi?
Yes
Class
Available to all classes
Aircraft
A350-900XWD, A380-800, A330-300
Pricing
US$4.99 – 10MB
US$8.99 – 20MB
US$12.99 – 30MB
US$34.99 – 100MB
Thai Airways offers in-flight wifi on a number of its aircraft, with its A350s powered by Panasonic and its A380 and A330s provided by Sitaonair. The airline’s six wifi-enabled A380s currently operate flights to Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo Narita, London and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, its seven wifi-enabled A330s fly to Tokyo Narita, Taipei-Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Yangon, Beijing, Hanoi, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo Haneda, Kuala Lumpur and Fukuoka.
The airline’s data-based rather than duration-focused pricing structure may confuse some flyers less familiar with average data-consumption rates. As a rough guide, 10MB will likely get you through roughly 30 minutes of general web browsing and email. Similarly to Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways’ prices are also quite expensive compared to many other Asia-Pacific airlines, with its US$34.99 for 100MB top-tier price being noticeably pricier than most other carriers’ highest wifi brackets.
Virgin Australia
Wifi?
Domestic trials began April 20, 2017
Class
Available to all classes
Aircraft
One wifi-enabled B737-800; to be rolled out across B737-800s, A330s and B777s
Pricing
To be confirmed after trial period completes
Less than two weeks after rival Australian carrier Qantas began trialling a new domestic in-flight wifi offering, Virgin Australia launched its own domestic three-month testing period using the same aircraft, a B737-800. During the testing period, passengers will be able to use the wifi free of charge, though the final pricing of the service has yet to be announced and will be determined following customer feedback during the trial.
As with Qantas’s wifi offering, Virgin Australia’s will support video and music streaming, notably through Netflix, Pandora and Stan. Unlike Qantas, however, Virgin Australia’s wifi is expected to be rolled out across its fleet of B737-800s, A330s and B777s for both domestic and international flights.
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