Emirates has been offering free Wi-Fi for the first 10mb of data on 106 of its aircraft with a token US$1 for an additional 500mb of data. The free 10mb of data is sufficient for an update on social media accounts or texting via instant messaging apps. A simpler sign-on process and other software updates were introduced early February this year resulting in a 25% increase in uptake.
This Wi-Fi service is available on the airline’s fleet of 59 Airbus A380s and 47 of its Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates is installing another two to three more aircraft with Wi-Fi connectivity every month as part of converting all of its Boeing 777-300ERs and 777-200LRs to become Wi-Fi ready.
By giving this free access and a token charge since last October, Emirates has seen a near fivefold increase in usage. In 2014, around 650,000 customers used on board Wi-Fi. As of early March this year, over 350,000 customers have already used the service. Emirates has revealed that its passengers most frequently access Facebook and Google as well as Skype and Whatsapp onboard in order to stay connected with their friends and family.
Personal mobile phone service is also available on 75% of its fleet in addition to in-seat email, telephone and SMS services on every aircraft. Inflight connectivity systems comes with an investment cost of US$20 million annually.
Over 30% of passengers use Wi-Fi services for ultra long-haul flights of over 14 hours and on a recent flight to New York and 66% of passengers used onboard Wi-Fi.
