'Big difference in WiFi rates in airplanes'

Many airlines are busy building in so-called WiFi spots, so that all passengers remain connected to the rest of the world. You usually have to pay for that and the prices vary greatly per airline, according to the flight ticket website TIX know. 

From 2017, a change will take place in aviation in the field of WiFi: the Europasat satellite will be taken into use. Telecom company Inmarsat is developing a Wi-Fi network that is suitable for aircraft. British Airways will start this project to test whether the network has good coverage. You can of course imagine that it is quite a challenge to maintain this connection.

More is possible on intercontinental flights. A handful of airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Nok Air and Norwegian, offer free Wi-Fi on long-haul flights.

With many other airlines, WiFi is limited and/or only available for a fee;

• Airberlin: €4,90 per 30 minutes or €8,90 per hour, on a growing number of flights.
• British Airways: $14 per hour, or $25 per day, on one flight between New York JFK and London.
• Emirates: the first 10 MB is free, then $1 per 500 MB on board more than 60% of the aircraft.
• Etihad: $14 per hour, or $25 per day, on select flights.
• Hongkong Airlines: free on flights between London and Hong Kong.
• Iberia: $19,95 for 22 MB, then $1,75 per MB.
• KLM: €19,95 per flight, only on board Boeing 787 Dreamliners and on 1 Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
• Lufthansa: €9 per hour, €14 per 4 hours and €17 for the whole flight.
• Philippine Airlines: Free on B777 and Airbus A330-343.
• Qatar Airways: Free on a limited number of flights.
• SAS: €6/€7 in Scandinavia and Europe, €15/€19 in other countries.
• Singapore Airlines: $9.99 per 10 MB or $11.95 per hour.
• Southwest Airlines: $8 per day.
• TAP Portugal: €6 for 4 MB, or €12 for 10 MB.

Finally, there is also GoGo, an in-flight Wi-Fi provider. For $50 a month, you can use unlimited internet on board 2.000 Air Alaska, Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, Japan Airlines, United and Virgin America aircraft.

Dutch companies

KLM and AirFrance are now testing Wi-Fi on board the Dreamliners and one Boeing 777-300 aircraft. As soon as the aircraft reaches an altitude of 6 kilometers, it is allowed to use the internet. You have to pay for this; €11 per hour, or €20 for access during the entire flight. KLM does not yet offer wireless internet on the other flights, but whether that will be soon remains to be seen. Since this is a fairly large investment, a lot of testing will have to be done in advance.

Transavia will start a trial in 2016 in which an 'internal' Wi-Fi will be offered on selected flights. Passengers have the opportunity to play games on their own device, read/view destination information and chat with other passengers. Using 'open' Wi-Fi is currently not an option at Transavia, the airline is waiting for the market to develop further and more affordable options to become available.

On the airport

Wi-Fi at the airport is not yet self-evident everywhere. There are plenty of airports in Europe where wireless internet is already free, but at many airports the rule applies: the first half hour is free and after that you have to pay. The Netherlands scores well in this regard: free internet can be used at each of the five Dutch airports.

Nowadays, it is also expected that Wi-Fi is available everywhere. Especially at an airport, people want to arrange the last things before they travel and are therefore often online before departure. Travelers also check the flight information or the weather forecast at their destination. In any case, it is clear that as modern travellers, we want to be 'connected' at all times and everywhere.