Customers on a growing number of Emirates A380s can now surf, share, email, or tweet their way across the Emirates network as the airline launches Wi-Fi internet connectivity with leading industry service provider, OnAir.
Customers can access the service of the Wi-Fi in the sky onboard their flight using their Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops. All customers have to do is open up their device’s wireless connections, log on to the OnAir network and follow the simple steps to access the internet. As part of a proving phase, customers onboard many A380 flights have been using the service for many months already as the system was installed and activated on the first few A380s last year.
“Emirates recognises that being connected in-flight is increasingly important especially on our longer flights,” said Patrick Brannelly, vice-president Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital and Events.
Wi-Fi services will initially launch on 11 of 19 Emirates A380s currently in-service, with the system due to be installed both now and in the future across the entire fleet of 71 Emirates A380s on order. In addition to Wi-Fi, from mid-2012 all new Emirates A380s will be delivered with a full range of Wi-Fi, mobile phone and mobile data services.
“Emirates is continuously introducing the latest advanced technology to its customers for use on board out fleet. Making in-flight connectivity available is a value added service that Emirates customers will highly enjoy; this is particularly true of our A380 fleet, since the aircraft is the epitome of modern airline technology,” added Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations. “With the OnAir product onboard, Emirates ensures our passengers will enjoy being connected in the sky on our most advanced aircraft.”
Price plans start at just US $7.50 for mobile devices and US $15 on laptops for generous data packages that allow plenty of internet at an accessible price. The US $7.50 package should be sufficient for the average Blackberry user to stay connected all the way from Dubai to Paris on A380 – a flight of over six and one half hours.
Emirates flies from Malta to Dubai on a daily schedule via Larnaka, Cyprus.