Emirates Expands Free Inflight Connectivity

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(23/05/23)
 Emirates recently enhanced its inflight
connectivity so that all passengers, regardless of class of
travel, can now enjoy some form of free connectivity once they sign up
to the airline’s loyalty programme, Skywards.

The development has resulted in an
additional 30,000 Economy Class passengers connecting to
complimentary onboard Wi-Fi every week.

Skywards
members, whether Blue, Silver, Gold or Platinum tier, travelling
in any class can now enjoy free app messaging.

Additionally, First Class
passengers will have unlimited free internet if they are Skywards
members, enabling them to shop or work online while inflight, as
will Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members travelling in
Business Class. Platinum Skywards members have complimentary
internet access in all classes.

The increase in free connectivity has been
well received by Emirates’ passengers, with the airline reporting
that an average of 450,000 people use the service per month, a 30% increase on
the number of passengers using it in 2023.

Currently almost 10% of all
passengers are utilising the complimentary onboard Wi-Fi. On
routes through the Americas, almost 20% of passengers connect to
Wi-Fi onboard, and on European and Africa routes the usage is over
11% of all passengers.

Patrick Brannelly, SVP Retail, IFE & Connectivity,
said, “Emirates has persistently worked with our service
providers to optimise and improve the connectivity experience. In
March we delivered about 55% more data per customer session
compared to early 2022 despite the number of sessions increasing
by 68% in the same period. We will continue to work to invest in
upgrades and enhancements, and our A350 aircraft will arrive with
the next generation of satellite connectivity already equipped.”

Emirates has also confirmed that it will offer new
high-speed, inflight broadband powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation,
onboard 50 new Airbus A350 aircraft, scheduled to enter service
in 2024.

The Airbus A350s will
be the first Emirates aircraft to take advantage of Inmarsat’s
Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, ensuring
passengers can enjoy uninterrupted global connectivity, no matter
their destination, including the North Pole.

Emirates is also investing over US$ 350
million to equip a 50-strong fleet of A350s coming in 2024 with
enhanced passenger connectivity via Thales’ AVANT Up system and Optiq –
a smart display that allows two
Bluetooth connections, built-in Wi-Fi for passengers to pair
multiple devices including phones, tablets, headphones or even
game controllers, while supporting up to 60 watts USB-C to
fast-charge personal devices.

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