If you will be taking an airplane ride soon you may be worrying about the fact that you won’t be able to go online for some time. The good news is that many airlines now allow passengers to connect to the internet while they are in the air. In fact, around 82 different airlines have some sort of internet that can be accessed in flight. Not all all airlines have the ability to offer WiFi and if they do, they may charge their passengers a hefty fee. If you want to have an internet connection while you are soaring through the clouds, keep the following tips in mind the next time you are trying to find an airline to fly on.
Pay Attention To The “100%” Rule
Just because an airline says it offers in flight internet connectivity, it doesn’t mean that it’s available on every one of their flights. For instance, While Delta, America and Emirates does offer pretty fast internet speeds, not all of their flights give passengers the option to connect to the internet. Icelandair, Southwest and Virgin Atlantic are the only airlines where 100% of their planes have WiFi. All of JetBlue’s aircrafts do have it as well, but it only works over the contiguous U.S.
Where Will You Be Going?
For those that are traveling outside of the United States, in flight WiFi availability will greatly vary. Fortunately for those on a long-haul flight, they have a lot of options. Air Europa, Emirates, Etihad, Eurowings, Delta, EVA Air, Iberia, Kuwait, Lufthansa, SAS, Scoot, United and Virgin Atlantic all offer WiFi on 100% of their long haul flights.
The Cost
Even if your flight does offer WiFi, it doesn’t mean that it will be free. Among the airlines that offer free WiFi are Norwegian and JetBlue. Certain airlines do charge affordable prepaid plans as well. For instance, Southwest allows fliers to buy an $8 per day plan. For those that just need to be online for a few minutes, United Airlines has a plan that costs $4 for 30 minutes. For those that travel a lot, they may be interested in purchasing a plan from an in flight wireless internet provider called Gogo. It’s available on Alaska, American, Delta, United Airlines and Virgin America. Domestic flight plans cost $49.95 a month while plans for international flights cost $69.95 a month.
