Wi-Fi on international flights

SINGAPORE — The prevalance of smartphones, mobile hotspots and airport wifi means you can access the internet pretty much anywhere - that is, until you board a plane.

Some airlines now offer in-flight Wi-Fi. But how much does it cost to stay connected at 40,000 feet in the air?


A Singapore Airlines (SIA) passenger said he racked up a Wi-Fi bill amounting to about S$1,520 during his flight from London to Singapore earlier this week, where he claimed to have only made 155 page views, sent some emails and uploaded a 4MB Powerpoint document during the entire flight.

Here are some airlines that offer in-flight Wi-Fi and their charges.

Air Canada: US$5 (S$6.50) for a one-hour pass, US$14 for 24 hours of internet access. Available on select flights within North America.

Air Asia: RM8 (S$3.10) for in-flight Wi-Fi service with a 3MB limit that lets guests use selected instant messaging applications in the air, namely WhatsApp, WeChat and Line.
All Nippon Airways: US$6 (5MB) and US$24 (20MB). Available on designated international flights only.

American Airlines: US$14 for 24 hours of internet access on domestic flights, US$19 for “duration of flight” Wi-Fi on international flights.

British Airways: £8 (S$16.30) for one hour, £15 for 24 hours. Only available on one aircraft, flying the direct route between New York JFK and London City airports.

Emirates: US$2.75 (5MB) and US$10 (30MB) for mobile devices, and US$7.50 (15MB) and U$20 (100MB) for tablets andlaptops. Available on all A380s and select Boeing 777s.

Thai Airways: US$4.50 (3MB) and US$14.50 (10MB) for smartphones, and US$14.50 (10MB) and US$28.50 (20MB) for tablets and laptops. Available on select long haul flights.

Qatar Airways: Inflight internet services available on all B787 aircraft, with price depending on the passenger’s network provider’s international roaming charges. They also offer inflight mobile services on select A319, A320 and A321 flights.