Virgin Rolls Out Wi-Fi Across Entire Fleet

Image: PHOTO: Virgin Atlantic flight. (photo via Flickr/Tomas Del Coro)
Image: PHOTO: Virgin Atlantic flight. (photo via Flickr/Tomas Del Coro)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 5:10 PM ET, Thu September 7, 2017

Virgin Atlantic is officially the most connected airline in Europe.

The British airline announced Wednesday that it is the first carrier on the continent to offer Wi-Fi on every one of its flights.

According to The Telegraph, Virgin's entire fleet of 39 aircraft is connected and the carrier is also promising in-flight Wi-Fi access on all flights operated by partner Delta Air Lines.

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Virgin said that it's at least a year ahead of other long-haul carriers in Europe.

"Innovation has always been in our blood and we've worked closely with Wi-Fi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer Wi-Fi between the U.K. and the Caribbean, China and Africa," said Virgin Atlantic's executive vice president for customers, Mark Anderson, in a statement.

Nonetheless, passengers will have to pay extra to get online.

Travelers can purchase an hour of Wi-Fi light service for $6.50 (£4.99) or Wi-Fi max service for $20 (£14.99). The latter allows passengers to connect to the internet with no data limit for the duration of the flight.

Approximately four out of 10 passengers opt for the max service, according to the British airline.

For roughly $4 (£2.99), customers on Virgin's Airbus A330, A340 and Boeing 747 aircraft can access messaging services like Facebook Messenger with no data limit for the entire flight. However, the service excludes photo and video messages.

[READMORE]READ MORE: Alaska Airlines Upgrading Flight Wi-Fi Service[/READMORE]

To ensure a quality connection over the Atlantic Ocean, Virgin must rely on satellites. The airline is utilizing technology from Panasonic on its Boeing 787s and technology from Gogo on its Airbus aircraft as well as its Boeing 747s, according to The Independent.

Earlier this year, JetBlue became the first airline to offer free high-speed Wi-Fi across every seat on its entire fleet.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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