{"id":57096,"date":"2026-01-20T22:35:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/wi-fi-na-bortu-litaka\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T22:44:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:44:28","slug":"wi-fi-na-bortu-litaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/en\/wi-fi-na-bortu-litaka\/","title":{"rendered":"Wi-Fi on board the plane – how and where you can use the Internet during the flight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wi-Fi on board the plane \u2013 how to use it, which airlines provide the service for free, European Commission permission for using Wi-Fi in the EU.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which airlines have Wi-Fi from Starlink<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AirBaltic<\/strong> was the first to announce the launch of a new project \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The internet will be provided by Elon Musk\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qatar Airways<\/strong> quickly followed suit, rolling it out the same month, and now around 120 aircraft are equipped with Starlink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting February 2025, Air France<\/strong> and SAS<\/strong> also implemented Starlink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lufthansa<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who doesn’t want to use Starlink?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ryanair CEO Michael O\u2019Leary told Reuters that the airline will not implement this service due to the short average flight times and installation costs of the equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does Wi-Fi work on a plane?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can use Wi-Fi on a plane at an altitude above 3,000 meters \u2013 at lower altitudes it is prohibited by safety requirements. There are several options for implementing Wi-Fi connectivity on passenger planes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air-to-Ground<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first and older method \u2013 “Air-to-Ground<\/strong>” \u2013 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<\/strong> 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<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite – Starlink<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The second, modern method<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over Europe, planes plan to use \u201cpico-cell<\/strong>\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use Wi-Fi on board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before using the internet on board a plane, you need to do the following with your gadgets: <\/p>\n\n\n\n