For those of you who need to be connected in the air, there is good news from Etihad Airways – who have completed a rollout of WiFi hotspots aboard their Boeing 777 fleet.
Etihad Boeing 777 at London Heathrow – Image, GhettoIFE
The 777 fleet made up of 24 aircraft, used on long haul services across the Etihad network.
The service rolled out will enable WiFi and Mobile phone connectivity.
Etihad won’t be stopping with its wifi rollout – as it will roll out the service aboard its entire fleet of 89 that operate under the Etihad mainline fleet.
The combined service – “Etihad Wi-Fly” is based on the Panasonic IFE solution, with connectivity supplied by OnAir. As well as mobile phone coverage and in-flight WiFi, the service also offers LiveTV which is streamed to the passenger screens.
So, onto the important part – and that’s how much this is going to cost. And it’s not bad with prices for WiFi starting at US$5 for a short session, scaling up to $US25 a day.
This will be purchasable by credit card or PayPal. Use of mobile phones will be charged at your operators roaming rates (so double-check before you fly).
The data connectivity will also be shared with the crew aboard for duty-free sales, air-to-ground communications and sorting customer issues whilst still in the air.
It’s positive to see an airline update its fleet so it can give customers the possibility to be connected in the air… although I’m not a fan of in-flight calling.
Still – if you need to be totally connected at all times, and you’re flying where Etihad needs to take you – this is a good option
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