Virgin Atlantic has become the first European carrier to offer wifi across its entire fleet, powered by a combination of Panasonic and Gogo technology.
All of the airline’s 39 B787, B747, A330 and A340 aircraft are now fitted with the service, and Virgin says that combined with its partner Delta, the two carriers now offer up to 39 wifi-connected transatlantic flights per day.
Virgin offers a £4.99 wifi light package, providing passengers with one hour’s internet access (or 40MB of data on the carrier’s B787 aircraft), or a wifi max option, offering access throughout the flight (or 150MB of data on Dreamliner services).
On flights operated by A330, A340 and B747 aircraft travellers can also opt for a £2.99 messaging pass, allowing messaging throughout the flight.
Virgin says that 42 per cent of its customers connecting inflight opt for the wifi max package, with the most popular routes being Heathrow to New York JFK, Sa Francisco and Atlanta.
Virgin says it is “at least a year ahead of other European long-haul carriers” in offering wifi on all of its planes, although its fleet of 39 aircraft is considerably smaller than the approximate 270 operated by British Airways, which has begun rolling out connectivity onto selected B747 aircraft.
The carrier is celebrating the milestone by holding a series of #LiveFromVirgin events, including a comedy set in the sky.
Commenting on the news Mark Anderson, executive vice president, customer at Virgin Atlantic, said:
“Innovation has always been in our blood and we’ve worked closely with wifi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer wifi between the UK and the Caribbean, China and Africa.”
