Emirates now offers free wi-fi on 106 aircraft, with two to three more being installed with wi-fi connectivity every month. On ultra long-haul flights (over 14 hours), over 30% of passengers typically use wi-fi services, and on a recent flight to New York, 66% of passengers used onboard wi-fi.
Currently, wi-fi service is available on all of Emirates’ 59 A380 aircraft and 47 of its B777 aircraft. On over 60% of the installed fleet, the first 10MB data is free – sufficient for an update on social media accounts or texting via instant messaging apps. Thereafter, and for the rest of the fleet, users can enjoy 500MB of data for a token $US 1 charge. By giving either free access or charging a token amount since last October, Emirates has seen a near five-fold increase in usage.
Besides offering wi-fi connectivity on all A380 flights, Emirates is in the process of converting all of its B777-300ERs and B777-200LRs to become wi-fi ready at the rate of two-to-three aircraft per month.
Passengers on board Emirates also have other ways to stay connected with personal mobile phones services offered on over 75% of the fleet, and in-seat email, telephone and SMS services on every aircraft. All of Emirates’ 37 dedicated airport lounges around its global network offer complimentary wi-fi connectivity.
