Two global airlines, Emirates and Norwegian have announced they are are adding free Wi-Fi offerings for U.S.-bound passengers.
Norwegian, which is rapidly becoming Europe's largest long-haul low-cost carrier, has said it plans to equip its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 737 Max aircraft with Wi -Fi. Additionally, it said it will become the first airline to offer free Wi-Fi to all passengers on its transatlantic routes. Although no implementation date has been set, the airline expects to complete the transition within a year.
"We were the first to launch free wi-fi in Europe and the first to have it fleetwide for short-haul," said an airline spokesperson.
The airline, which continues to expand capacity to North America, also recently announced it will start new flights to Chicago and Austin from London Gatwick in March 2018.
Dubai-based Emirates, which recently saw the lifting of the electronics ban that had plagued its U.S. bound passengers, is now sweetening the pot with expanded free Wi-Fi service.
"Emirates has made significant investments in our in-flight connectivity," said Adel Al Redha, Emirates Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. "Today, Wi-Fi services are available on over 200 of our aircraft, and it is a service that Emirates continues to subsidize heavily. In-flight Wi-Fi usage, already popular from the start, has grown tremendously. Our new in-flight Wi-Fi plans reflect Emirates' commitment to continue providing this as a free service for as many customers as possible, especially to our most frequent flyers,"
Emirates most elite customers-Skywards Platinum and Gold members-will enjoy free Wi-Fi always, no matter what class of travel they book. Additionally, all Skywards members traveling in First and Business class will also have access to the same perk.
Economy class customers and non-Skywards members will enjoy 20MB of free data usage within two hours of their login, an amount that doubles Emirates' current offer of 10 free MB.
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The amount, said Emirates, should be enough to cover customers who are simply looking to send short messages home or check their social media accounts while in flight. Travelers who need more data will be able to purchase additional packages as needed, with amounts varying depending on whether they are a Skywards Silver or Blue member.
All new Wi-Fi plans on Emirates are effective immediately.
Within the United States, JetBlue is the only domestic carrier to offer free Wi-Fi at every seat. The carrier rolled out its free "Fly-Fi" service, in partnership with Amazon, in early January. The free service is available only on flights over the contiguous United States.
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