Emirates has announced that all its passengers in every class of travel can enjoy some form of free connectivity once they sign up for Emirates Skywards.
The development has resulted in an additional 30,000 Economy Class passengers connecting to complimentary onboard Wi-Fi every week.
The airline said it has constantly been “at the forefront of inflight Wi-Fi developments” and has to date invested more than US$ 300 million dollars into onboard connectivity.
All Emirates Skywards members in every class of travel can now enjoy “some form” of free connectivity.
Skywards members, whether Blue, Silver, Gold, or Platinum tier, travelling in any class, whether Economy, Premium Economy, Business or First Class will enjoy free app messaging.
Additionally, First Class passengers will have unlimited free internet if they are Skywards members, as well as Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members travelling in Business Class.
Platinum Skywards members have complimentary internet access in all classes.
The airline said that the increase in free connectivity has been very well received by Emirates’ passengers following changes in January 2023 and today sees an average of 450,000 users per month.
This represents a 30% increase in passenger use in 2023 versus the same period last year. 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 African routes the usage is over 11% of all passengers.
Passengers simply need to join Emirates Skywards – an easy and complimentary process, in order to access free Wi-Fi.
Those interested can sign up via emirates.com, flydubai.com, the official Emirates app, or the flydubai app and directly from the Wi-Fi portal onboard.
Emirates Skywards has more than 30 million members worldwide, offering unmatched rewards in the air and on-ground including airlines, hotels, car rental, banks and a multitude of retail and lifestyle options.
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 also announced 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 offer Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, which powers the world’s first and only globally available broadband network no matter the destination, including the North Pole.
Emirates also confirmed an investment of 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.
This means that the airlines will offer the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections, and 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.
Click here for more information on connectivity onboard Emirates.
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