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Sometimes in-flight Wi-Fi is the bare necessity when you travel abroad or within the country. However not all airlines offer free in-flight Wi-Fi. There is only a couple of airlines that will allow you to use Wi-Fi internet for free, while the others will ask you to pay for the service. So what can you do when you need to stay connected while onboard?
These airlines below give free Wi-Fi access to surf the web, get some work done, or simply catch up with your friends while you are onboard. However, free onboard internet is not available to everyone. In most cases you have to be a member of the airline’s frequent flyer program or be a business class passenger to enjoy free inflight Wi-Fi.
Southwest Rapid Rewards members who reached the A-List Preferred status can use free inflight Wi-Fi during the whole flight. A-List members and those who are not members of the Southwest’s Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program, will pay $8 for inflight Wi-Fi.
Icelandair made Wi-Fi available to everyone on board of its airplanes. However, the Wi-Fi access is not free for everyone. Only Saga Class passengers and Saga Gold frequent flyer members get complementary wireless internet for two devices.
All Aer Lingus’ A330 aircrafts have Wi-Fi on board. And all Aer Lingus flyers can get internet access: one hour will cost $9.95, and full flight access will cost $18.95. Only Business Class passengers can get Aer Lingus Wi-Fi for free.
Wi-Fi connection on Turkish Airlines flights is available on their Boeing 777-300 ER type aircraft only. Any passenger can use Wi-Fi connection and the service will cost $9.99 per hour, or $14.99 for a 24-hour package. Only Business Class passengers are offered free Wi-Fi internet service.
As you can see, sometimes even being a member of a frequent flyer program doesn’t give you access to free in-flight Wi-Fi. Most often, you should be a business class traveler or buy the service onboard.
Some credit cards offer credits, discounts or savings on in-flight Wi-Fi. A credit card that provides you with credit or discount to purchase wireless internet access on an aircraft will allow you to stay connected every time you fly on an aircraft with Wi-Fi services. For example, one of the credit cards that allows to save on in-flight Wi-Fi is the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® credit card. This card allows to save 25% on American Airlines in-flight Wi-Fi without limitations or caps. The benefit is available on American Airlines operated flights only. When you use this benefit, savings will appear as a statement credit in two or three weeks after the transaction.
You can simply pay for Wi-Fi while on board. This option is good when you do not fly often and never fly business class. The option is not the cheapest one, so it will be worth researching. On-board Wi-Fi prices vary as vary the Wi-Fi service providers. Here are some airlines, their prices and internet providers:
However, sometimes you won’t even need to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi simply because the service is not available. Yes, such airlines exist. For example, Frontier, Hawaiian and Spirit airlines do not offer in-flight Wi-Fi to their passengers. Some other airlines offer this service only on selected aircrafts. So it is worth checking Wi-Fi availability beforehand to make sure you will stay connected during your flight. And if you want to save on Wi-Fi, go back to Option B to see your options.
Option A: Fly exclusively with airlines that offer free in-flight Wi-Fi
Option B: Get a credit card with in-flight Wi-Fi credit
| Bonus: | Earn 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after making $3,000 in purchases in first 3 months of account opening |
| Annual Fee: | $99, waived for first 12 months* |
Option C: Pay for in-flight Wi-Fi
