Emirates advocates free onboard Wi-Fi as future standard

In the first three years since Emirates launched inflight Wi-Fi connectivity, over half a million passengers have connected to the internet onboard an Emirates flight, and this demand is expected to increase exponentially.

Onboard Wi-Fi is available on all of Emirates’ 53 A380s and on 28 Boeing 777s, which serve routes across six continents.

“It is a fact that our customers want onboard connectivity, and this demand is only going to increase as more people embrace an ‘always-on’ digital lifestyle, and carry smart mobile devices when they travel. We’ve always viewed Wi-Fi as a service and a value-added part of Emirates’ overall product, rather than a revenue stream,” said Tim Clark, president of Emirates.

“We believe that onboard Wi-Fi will ultimately become a free service, and a standard that customers will expect on a full service airline, just like onboard refreshments and personal inflight entertainment. Emirates is leading the way on this, and we are working closely with our suppliers and various stakeholders towards this vision,” he added.

On most Emirates flights equipped with Wi-Fi, passengers enjoy the first 10MBs of data for free, which is sufficient for most travelers to check in on their social media accounts.

Subsequently, a token $1 charge is imposed for the next 600MB. Emirates is updating its software programming to eventually enable passengers to have unlimited free access to Wi-Fi.

On a few of its A380s and 777s, it is not currently possible to offer the first 10MB free for technical reasons, but the airline is working hard to resolve the issue in the upcoming months.

According to the airline’s data, the sites its passengers most frequently access onboard include Google, Facebook, and chat services Skype, WhatsApp and BBM, reflecting travellers’ strong desire to stay connected and their use of social media channels to do so.

Passengers onboard Emirates also have other ways to stay connected with in-seat SMS and email, as well as mobile phone services. All of Emirates’ 36 dedicated airport lounges around its global network are offering complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity.