summary
- Lufthansa Group is expanding the availability of WiFi on its short-to-medium-haul aircraft, including the Airbus A220, to meet passenger demand.
- Passengers with a Miles & More account or Lufthansa Group Travel ID can now enjoy free messaging services on flights with internet.
- Investing in in-flight internet benefits customers and enables crew to optimize flight routes and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Lufthansa Group airlines are rolling out WiFi on more of their short-to-medium range aircraft, including the Airbus A220. This is good news for passengers, as airlines also plan to soon offer free in-flight messaging on flights with internet.
We take connectivity for granted on the ground, but losing connectivity at 32,000 feet is very noticeable. Some people enjoy switching off and getting away from the world. However, some people may need to continue working or want to check the soccer scores. For these people, Lufthansa’s announcement will be a boon.
More short-haul aircraft are getting WiFi
In its latest announcement, Lufthansa Group has revealed that it wants to equip all Airbus A220 and Airbus A320 family aircraft operated by Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swissair with in-flight connectivity. More than 150 aircraft need to be equipped with this technology.
- Airbus A220
- Airbus A319
- Airbus A320ceo
- Airbus A320neo
- Airbus A321ceo
- Airbus A321neo
Approximately 200 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family already have Internet capabilities, and Lufthansa is working to make Internet capabilities standard on these aircraft. Fitting out the remaining aircraft is expected to begin between October and December, with the process expected to take approximately two years. If you’re wondering how the receiver is installed on an aircraft, Qantas has created a video of its installation on an Airbus A330.
More people will be able to use free Wi-Fi
Not only will in-flight internet coverage expand, but so will the cost of accessing the service. From now on, anyone with a Miles & More account or a Lufthansa Group Travel ID will be able to enjoy free messaging services when flying on connected aircraft. There is no cost to create these accounts. That is, such access is effectively free.
Photo: Lufthansa Group
If you need more premium internet service, perhaps to fill out a spreadsheet of your aircraft registration, Lufthansa has reduced the cost of its premium package to just 6 euros ($6.54). This is about half the normal price. This was first announced last November.
Lufthansa to offer free messaging and cheap Wi-Fi on European flights from January
Free messaging will be available on A320 family aircraft.
Who is this investment for?
At first glance, this investment in providing internet to these vehicles appears to be purely customer-focused. But the airlines themselves will also benefit from the move. Lufthansa revealed that crews on equipped flights can use the service for tasks such as optimizing flight routes during flights to understand fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The new technology offers more features while being lighter than the previous generation. Even before taking into account optimized flight routes, weight reduction directly translates into fuel and CO2 savings. In terms of increased functionality, the current generation of antennas connects to satellites only via Ka-band. The new antennas being installed will also be able to access ground coverage across Europe through 4G LTE ground masts.
What do you think about Lufthansa’s WiFi announcement? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below.
