Onboard Wi-Fi has become a huge part of the flying experience. Airlines know it and they now are starting to charge huge sums of money to use it onboard. Take some of our pro tips to ensure you’re getting the best value for your dollar in the skies.
JetBlue’s Fly-Fi – Powered by Excede Internet
JetBlue offers the best wi-fi in the skies and that’s not even the best part, it’s also FREE to use. Every plane in service should have Wi-Fi. It is only available on domestic flights. You can see a coverage map here.
Southwest
Southwest offers the cheapest paid wi-fi option, with day passes at just $8. They also offer free entertainment to stream direct to your device since none of their aircrafts have any in-flight entertainment screens (IFE). Not all planes have wi-fi service available. Southwest used to have link to tell if your plane would come equipped with Wi-Fi but they removed it and now it is a bit like roulette to see whether your plane will have service.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines
All the airlines listed above primarily use GoGo Internet for their North America routes. At the end of the day each airline gets to set pricing for each of their flights. For longer transcontinental routes it’s not uncommon to see the pricing below. It would cost $34 for the entire flight, $44 for the entire day with one airline, and $50 for a month of access. For the business traveler who travels at least 3x times in a month, the monthly plan is a no brainer.
For the leisure traveler, you should visit https://www.gogoair.com before your flight. They offer 24 hour day passes starting at just $19 and they are valid for one year from purchase.
I recommend always keeping one in your account, incase you forget to buy one, that way when you are in the air you don’t get price gouged. To redeem in the air, just click the “Have A Pass?” button and sign in. The pass is good for 24 full hours from activation so you can take one flight on a Sunday night and continue using the same pass for a flight on Monday morning, as long as you’re flying the same carrier.
Limitations
You should note that you can not use your pass on a flight starting on Alaska Airlines and then continue on to a Delta Airlines flight in the same day, you must remain on one airline. You also can not buy a pass on an international flight and continue using the same pass domestically unless both flights have Wi-Fi powered by Gogo. American Airlines no longer participates in the Gogo All Day pass program. American Airlines has 2 primary Wi-Fi providers, purchasing a monthly Gogo plan with them is risky as you cant guarantee the provider on your flight.
If purchasing Wi-Fi isn’t your thing, you can also earn 10 free GoGo passes annually with the American Express Business Platinum Card from AMEX OPEN.
Whats the most expensive Wi-Fi you have seen on a plane?