Emirates has invested billions in flight services.“I don’t know of anywhere else besides in an aeroplane that you can’t get free Wi-Fi.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the first robust in-flight internet service, Connexion by Boeing, launched in April 2000, but Connexion fizzled out in 2006. That’s rapidly changing as global airlines offer fast, seamless internet at altitude. The question they need to answer is whether in-flight Wi-Fi is a loss-making carrot to entice customers, or a lucrative revenue stream in an environment of stressed economies, virtual meetings and high fuel prices.
While free and unlimited Wi-Fi is the dream, it’s not common. The strategy followed by many carriers is to dangle a taste of connectivity in the hope you’ll pay extra for full access. Swiss is the latest to offer free messaging services — the likes of WhatsApp, Telegram and Messenger — on long-haul flights, but you’ll need to pay up to R700 for unrestricted internet access.