Wi-Fi on board the plane – how to use it, which airlines provide the service for free, European Commission permission for using Wi-Fi in the EU.
In the winter of 2023, airlines flying over EU territory received approval from the European Commission to equip their aircraft with technology that will allow passengers to make calls, send text messages, and use the internet during the flight. This step is aimed at fully leveraging the capabilities of the new 5G network technology, as well as earlier mobile networks such as 4G and 3G.
The internet is gradually appearing on planes over European and other airspace. Therefore, you first need to figure out how it all works and how to use it.
Which airlines have Wi-Fi from Starlink
AirBaltic was the first to announce the launch of a new project – in 2024, it introduced free satellite internet on all of its aircraft. In AirBaltic, you can use the internet both on the ground and during the flight. Access will be free for all passengers. No password entry is required.
The internet will be provided by Elon Musk’s company, Starlink. Each aircraft is allocated a channel of 350 megabits. This means about 2.4 megabits per passenger. This is enough to make calls, watch videos, and even play online games.
Qatar Airways quickly followed suit, rolling it out the same month, and now around 120 aircraft are equipped with Starlink.
Starting February 2025, Air France and SAS also implemented Starlink.
Lufthansa is the latest airline to announce cooperation with the internet provider, planning to deploy Starlink on all its aircraft from the second half of 2026.
Who doesn’t want to use Starlink?
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told Reuters that the airline will not implement this service due to the short average flight times and installation costs of the equipment.
Currently, no budget airline offers Starlink, although Eurowings is part of the Lufthansa group and will therefore add this service in the coming months. The Barcelona-based airline Level will also launch Starlink by the end of the year.
How does Wi-Fi work on a plane?
You can use Wi-Fi on a plane at an altitude above 3,000 meters – at lower altitudes it is prohibited by safety requirements. There are several options for implementing Wi-Fi connectivity on passenger planes.
Air-to-Ground
The first and older method – “Air-to-Ground” – uses ground-based mobile broadband towers that send signals to an antenna mounted on the fuselage of the aircraft. As the plane flies over different areas of airspace, it automatically connects to signals from the nearest tower. The downside of this technology is that there is no internet over seas and oceans or in areas with no human activity. The largest American provider, Gogo, has covered almost the entire territory of North America with more than 200 towers transmitting the internet signal. It was this company that offered its first in-flight Wi-Fi service in 2008 on Virgin America aircraft. The initial connection speed of 3 Mbps was only enough for a few laptops, and streaming video was completely prohibited. Today, Gogo uses a new data transmission standard, ATG-4, which has increased speeds up to 20 Mbps.
Satellite – Starlink
The second, modern method is using satellite technology (including Starlink). Aircraft connect to satellites in geostationary orbit, which send and receive signals to the ground via receive/transmitters. Information is sent to a smartphone and through an antenna on top of the aircraft, which connects to the nearest satellite signal. The Wi-Fi signal is distributed to passengers on the plane via an onboard router. Wi-Fi speeds on board an aircraft cannot be compared to home connections. They are lower for several reasons: the speed of the aircraft in the air, the altitude, and not all airliners are equipped with modern internet equipment.
Over Europe, planes plan to use “pico-cell” equipment, which will connect users on the aircraft via satellite to a ground-based mobile network. Passengers will be able to make calls, send text messages, and use the internet.
How to use Wi-Fi on board
Before using the internet on board a plane, you need to do the following with your gadgets:
- disable all automatic software and app updates and cloud data synchronization
- install and configure a firewall for more precise control of the connection and traffic
- disable autoplay of videos on social networks (provided the selected package does not include unlimited data at speeds that can support video streaming).
Remember that when you buy an airline ticket, you will need to pay separately for Wi-Fi service. You can pay for internet access in advance by cashless payment or directly on board the aircraft (depending on the airline’s conditions).
After landing, the Wi-Fi connection will be disabled, and a certain amount will be deducted from the client’s bank card according to the bill received. The bill will state the tariff plan, the amount of data used in MB, and the amount of time spent online.
List of airlines with free Wi-Fi on board
- JetBlue Airways
- Norwegian Air Shuttle (Within Europe Only)
- Qatar Airways
- Emirates Airline
- China Eastern
- Philippines Airlines
- Qantas
- Hainan Airlines
- Nok Air
- Air New Zealand
- Virgin Australia (Domestic Only)
- Aer Lingus
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Singapore Airline
- Turkish Airlines
America
JetBlue is the only American airline that offers free Wi-Fi. The entire aircraft fleet is equipped with in-flight internet – Fly-Fi, provided in partnership with Amazon Prime. Thanks to this, JetBlue customers can stream Amazon video and other content via Fly-Fi on their personal devices. JetBlue offers download speeds up to 20 Mbps, much faster than most other airlines.
Europe
The Irish company Aer Lingus is the first European airline to offer free Wi-Fi to all its passengers on transatlantic flights, having received its first Airbus A321LR aircraft in spring 2019. Passengers receive 20 MB of Wi-Fi data for free.
The low-cost carrier Norwegian Airlines offers unlimited free Wi-Fi on its short European flights. Notably, Norwegians do not offer Wi-Fi on transatlantic flights even for money, but they plan to install free Wi-Fi throughout the entire fleet.
Scandinavian Airlines offers free high-speed Wi-Fi to travelers as part of SAS Business, SAS Plus, EuroBonus Diamond and Gold Members for certain domestic and European flights. The company stated that flights to Asia, Canada, and the USA have lower speeds and allow basic internet use, but not streaming.
Middle East
Qatar Airways offers business and economy class passengers 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi or 10 MB of data, whichever comes first. As soon as your 10 MB is used up, you can choose several options to pay for the next data volume. On Boeing 777-300 flights, Qatar Airways is testing a new Wi-Fi service called Super Wi-Fi – you can access the internet for free for one hour.
The airline Emirates offers free messaging via WhatsApp, Messenger, and other services for Emirates Skywards blue, silver, or gold members traveling in business class, or Emirates Skywards gold members in economy class. However, free Wi-Fi throughout the entire flight is provided exclusively to Skywards members traveling in first class or Platinum members in business class. The entire Emirates aircraft fleet has internet access. Previously, the airline offered all passengers 20 MB of free data and unlimited text messaging for two hours, but later discontinued this service.
Turkish Airlines introduced a new service for passengers in spring 2023 – they will be allowed to use messengers on board. Initially, internet access will only be available on aircraft serviced by Turk Telekom. Later, onboard Wi-Fi is planned to be implemented on all flights. Members of the Miles & Smiles loyalty program will be able to use the network. You can register for it for free (also during the flight). Passengers with Classic Plus, Elite, and Elite Plus levels will receive an expanded internet package: from 250 MB to unlimited.
Southeast Asia
Philippine Airlines provides 30 minutes of Wi-Fi or 15 MB, whichever runs out first – the amount of data or time. The internet is available only on certain international flights, on A330s, 777-300s, and all A350s serving flights from Manila to London and New York.
China Eastern offers somewhat complicated access to free internet. Registration is done in advance – before the flight, via the company’s website. Wi-Fi is provided only to the first 100 passengers on a flight and is regulated by China’s “Great Firewall,” which blocks most social networks and Google. China Eastern stated that its free Wi-Fi is at the testing stage on their website. Please note that mobile phones (even if they are in flight mode) are not always allowed to be used on Chinese airlines, including China Eastern.
The Chinese airline Hainan Airlines provides customers with free Wi-Fi access on all its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and Gogo Air provides the internet.
The Thai budget airline Nok Air, based in Bangkok and flying to 25 destinations, offers free unlimited Wi-Fi on all its flights.
Singapore Airlines offers free unlimited Wi-Fi on a trial basis for first class passengers or a free two-hour “Surf” package for KrisFlyer members seated in premium economy or economy class. In addition, PPS Club elite members can receive unlimited free Wi-Fi, regardless of where they are seated.
Australia and New Zealand
On all Boeing 777 aircraft of Air New Zealand equipped with a Wi-Fi system, the internet is provided to passengers for free. Air New Zealand’s Boeing 777s operate on long-haul routes to the USA and London. The airline’s new Airbus A321neo aircraft, which now fly between Australia and New Zealand, also have Wi-Fi.
Virgin Australia offers free Wi-Fi on domestic flights within Australia, while its international fleet charges for “inflight internet.”
Useful articles and links:
- Ryanair new rules in 2025: what passengers need to know (there is an update)
- EU to ban airlines from charging extra for hand luggage
- How I travel with small carry-on luggage
Bus route schedules and tickets on InfoBus.ua
Travel health insurance for international trips – online at HotlineFinance
Hotel and apartment bookings – Booking.com
