Is there wifi on the planes. Wi-fi on the plane: how much does it cost and how to use it correctly

You can’t just take and install Wi-Fi, it’s complicated and expensive. Easier themes airlines that order new aircraft - equipment can be installed in them at the factory.

In the vast majority of cases, except for the very exotic ones, a Wi-Fi router with an open network (without encryption) is installed on the plane, the signal from which is available throughout the cabin. In large long-haul liners, several antennas are also bred throughout the cabin.

Of course, this is not done “on the knee”, that is, we are talking about special equipment designed for a specific type of aircraft and certified by the manufacturer. It is also installed on a technical base that has a license to install such equipment, and is usually produced simultaneously with other forms of maintenance, so as not to drive once again plane back and forth.

It remains to find out where to get the actual Internet, that is, the main channel.

Internet class "Earth-to-air"

The first way to organize the main channel is called Air-to-Ground, that is, “from air to ground”. This technology works in much the same way as regular mobile Internet in your smartphone, tablet or router. Base stations are installed on the ground, directed upwards - and you can use existing towers of cellular operators. An antenna is located on the bottom of the plane, a modem is inside, and that's it. Approximately the same way Wi-Fi works in the subway or in Sapsan.

The world's largest Air-to-Ground network operates in North America, it is called GoGo (aka AirCell). Only 200-odd base stations are enough to cover the entire territory of the United States and Canada, because practically nothing interferes with the propagation of a signal in the air.

Since the base stations are located at a distance of 10-12 km, the speed of the flying aircraft relative to the base station is low, and the effective coverage area of ​​one cell is several thousand square kilometers.

The network operates in the CDMA-2000 standard at a frequency of 850 MHz and uses EV-DO Rev.A and Rev.B technologies - roughly speaking, the same as our former Sky Link, only at other frequencies (total bandwidth - 4 MHz ). In Rev.A the bandwidth is 3.1 Mbps per aircraft, in Rev.B it is 9.6 Mbps.

It's not much by today's standards, but it's cheap: $5 an hour, $16 a day, and $60 a month for unlimited access on four major airlines. In the near future, the network will be switched to LTE, which will significantly increase access speeds.

The technology has exactly one disadvantage: it only works when flying over land, while on long transcontinental routes, a significant part of the path lies over the ocean, where base stations cannot be placed.

Antenna for communication with ground base stations.

Satellite Internet

If access cannot be taken from earth, then it must be taken from heaven. At an altitude of several hundred kilometers above the Earth, satellites are in geostationary orbits. Geostationary orbit means that the satellite rotates around the Earth at the same speed as the planet itself around its axis, so it seems that it "hangs" all the time in the same point, covering the whole continent. It is connected with the Earth through a ground station with directional antennas, and with the aircraft - with the help of antennas in the upper part of the fuselage.

Launching a satellite is a very complex science; if it does not enter the calculated orbit, then it will move relative to a fixed point on Earth at one speed or another, and become useless: such a satellite is considered lost.

Airbus A320 aircraft with satellite dish.

There are several different satellite providers that provide Internet access for aircraft passengers, the technology is generally the same for all, only the satellites and frequency bands used differ. The higher the frequency, the smaller the antenna can be and the higher the signal power can be, which means the signal-to-noise ratio and, as a result, the data transfer rate.

Older systems use the L-band (about 1.5 GHz) and the data rate is 432 Kbps when using one channel and 864 when two are combined (for the whole aircraft!). Such exotics are still unofficially operating on three Aeroflot aircraft, and access there is distributed not through Wi-Fi, but through a base station with GSM / GPRS (not even EDGE).

Ground stations of the communications satellite.

However, in reality average speed is about 25 Mbps for the entire aircraft (with pings of about 500-1000 ms) and it is again divided by all users on board, while satellite channels themselves are quite expensive. Therefore, providers limit access by economic means.

Today, you can’t hide from wifi - you can’t hide, and if earlier the plane was the last refuge for those tired of the Internet, now airlines are increasingly offering their passengers access to wifi during the flight.

Personally, the lack of Internet on board an aircraft has never seemed to me a big problem, and even more so a catastrophe, because an airplane is almost the only place, and then not on earth, but in the sky, where no one can disturb you via a messenger or via messages in social network. But, the fact remains, many people cannot live even an hour without the Internet. Let's compare the cost of accessing wifi from different airlines, for the correctness of comparisons, all prices are given in the same currency - in euros.

Aeroflot: Russian airlines distinguished themselves by making different tariffs depending on whether you connect to wifi with mobile phone or from a tablet. In the first case, the cost of wifi will be 4.5 euros per hour, but when connected using a tablet, the cost increases to 9 euros per hour.

Alitalia: the cost of wifi with the national airline of Italy is 9.6 euros per hour, while if you decide to connect immediately for three hours, then the cost of wifi drops to 21 euros for three hours of use.

Air France: for the French, the cost of wifi on board is higher than for the Italians, for an hour of Internet you will have to pay 10.95 euros, however, if you wish, you can buy yourself access to wifi throughout the flight, such a package costs only 19.95 euros and allows use the Internet services on board for 24 hours.

Lufthansa: if you buy wifi access from Lufthansa for a day, then its cost is relatively humane - 17 euros, but an hour of Internet on board will cost you the standard 9 euros.

Air Lingus: The Dutch airline Aer Lingus provides wifi for free for business class passengers, while others will have to pay 10.95 euros per hour for access to the world wide web during the flight, or buy wifi access for a day for 19.95 euros.

United Airlines: United Airlines, the world's largest air carrier, asks for 4.5 euros for an hour's access to wifi, the cost of a subscription for a day is 15.5 euros.

Emirates Airline: but the Emirates airline has access to wifi on board - free for all passengers, however, if you fly on the Airbus A350. In other planes of the airline, the cost of wifi is only $ 1 per hour, that is (compared to other airlines), one can say, almost for nothing.

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Hello! Today I chose interesting topic, which concerns, of course, Wi-Fi, but not on earth, but in the sky! My colleague Khomyachok has already written about the Internet on trains. And I decided to find out if there is Wi-Fi on the plane.

Big businessmen, artists, officials fly more often than ordinary people. And for sure, many people need access to the Internet almost around the clock to work. But we, mere mortals, will also not refuse to pass the flight time on social networks or You Tube. Well, let's look into the issue.

The very first service for accessing the Internet during air travel was provided by the German air carrier Lufthansa already in 2004.

Where is the Internet in the sky?

To provide customers with the Internet, the carrier installs a satellite dish on board the aircraft. It picks up a signal from towers installed on the ground. This is where clients face a problem. When the aircraft loses contact with the base station, for example, flying over the ocean, the radio signal will disappear. But that's not a problem. When it is impossible to catch a signal from the land, antennas catch it in the sky!

On geostationary orbit earth fly relay satellites that are associated with aircraft and stations on the ground. The coverage area of ​​one such satellite is measured in hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

Some people buy Ka-band stations. This frequency range is used for satellite radio communications and radar. It extends over the frequency spectrum from 26 to 40 GHz. The connection speed reaches 100 Mbps.

After climbing (from 3000 m), satellite stations begin to work. Passengers can connect to the network.

look interesting video on the topic "Where does the Internet come from in an airplane?". Excellent presentation with humour:

What does Aeroflot offer?

Aeroflot is the largest aviation holding in our country. Wi-Fi on the aircraft of this company has been available since 2012. This service is called "Internet on board". It is provided by the Swiss company SITAOnAir. Wi-Fi has been available on short flights since July 2018.

Aeroflot has Wi-Fi on flights operated by Liners A330 and B777. The airline's website says that payment is made directly to the provider of the "Internet on board" service in US currency. The cost is not included in the ticket price. The service can only be paid for on board the aircraft. Here are the restrictions.

Payment is made exclusively by bank transfer. Fortunately, most Russian debit and credit cards are accepted.

How much does Wi-Fi cost on Aeroflot aircraft:

1. Airbus A330:

• 15 minutes and 10 Mb of traffic - $5;
• 60 min and 30 Mb - 15 bucks;
• 180 minutes and 100 MB - 40 US dollars;
• Throughout the flight (traffic is limited to 150 Mb) - $ 50.

1. The Boeing B777 has two tariffs and restrictions apply only to traffic:

• 30 MB - $15;
• 100 Mbps - $40.

If the provided tariff is not enough, the client can use an additional one at a price of $ 1 per 1 Mb of traffic. Wi-Fi connection speed - up to 50 Mbps. This is quite enough for comfortable work and even watching videos. When connected to a network a large number customers, the speed will be lower.

Using the Internet in the sky is not difficult:

1. Be sure to wait until the plane has gained altitude and the "Turn off Phones" warning signs go out.
2. Turn off Airplane mode, activate the Wi-Fi module on your gadget.

1. In the list of available connections, select the network named "OnAir" and connect to it.
2. Open any browser and select a tariff based on personal requests.

Remember! Electronic devices with data transmission functions interfere with aircraft instruments and systems!

Other air carriers

Is there Wi-Fi on planes of other companies? Certainly! Many foreign carriers also provide this service. Here is the list:

• Malaysian company AirAsia;
• The second in Germany after Lufthansa is Air Berlin (and of course Lufthansa itself);
• French airline Air France-KLM;
• The largest in the world is American Airlines;
• The national carrier of Great Britain is British Airways;
• Philippine Airlines, the oldest in Asia - Cebu Pacific;
• The largest air carrier in the Middle East - Emirates;
• national company in United Arab Emirates– Etihad Airways;
• Budget European company from Ireland - Ryanair;
• The flag carrier of Vietnam is Vietnam Airlines.

These are far from all foreign airlines that provide Wi-Fi to their passengers. I have mentioned only the largest ones.

On the picture interesting information O free internet in the air:

Second largest company in Russia (after Aeroflot) S7 Airlines will not complete its aircraft with equipment for accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi during the flight. Airbus 321 passengers have the opportunity through the S7 application to view entertainment programs during the journey. There is no access to the network.

Was the article helpful to you? For example, I learned a lot of interesting things, for which I love my job! Write comments, tell about personal experience Internet use in the sky. We are always happy to communicate with our readers!

Going on vacation or on a business trip, all more people want to stay connected online. When flying on an aircraft, many people ask themselves the question - is there Internet on the plane?

Gradually, both Wi-Fi and mobile Internet become commonplace. Unfortunately, the quality of communication is at a rather low level, although these technologies are also gradually developing. In fact, the answer to the question - is it possible to use the Internet on an airplane, depends directly on whether the Internet connection system is installed on board or not.

The very first company to introduce access technology was the Boeing airline in the 90s of the XX century. But due to low demand in those years for this service, the company had to abandon it.

In the United States, Wi-Fi technology on board by 2016 became the most widespread in the world. It continues to gain momentum in the territory European countries. The access point is located inside the cockpit of the aircraft, allowing your laptop to connect wirelessly, and the aircraft's transmitters communicate using radio waves with a satellite or with a ground station. It depends on the service provider.

Russian Airlines and Internet Access

In Russia, the Aeroflot company became the pioneers with the installed Megafon on-board equipment. And access to the network was provided by the Swiss company SITA OnAir.

Since 2011, passengers have been able to use mobile Internet using GPRS technology. But the cost of the tariff was considerable - 44 rubles per 100 Kb of traffic, so it was used exclusively by wealthy clients.

Recently, airlines do not risk rushing to install this equipment, because the installation and connection of 1 board is at least $ 1 million, although they admit that the question “is there Wi-Fi on planes” is one of the three most asked questions when choosing airlines and buying a ticket . Based on this, Transaero plans to equip more than 30 aircraft with Wi-Fi technology, but does not specify the exact date.

WiFi cost on board

The cost of connecting this service is different and depends on the type of aircraft and the air carrier, so when buying a ticket, you should clarify the tariff. Some companies provide the ability to access the Internet for free, and some may offer billing per flight, per day or per hour.

Since September 2016, the Russian company Aeroflot has introduced new tariffs for accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi. Let's take a look at the main changes.

1. The cost has been halved. For example, for a package of 10 MB earlier it was necessary to pay 10 dollars, and now no more than 5 dollars.
2. The highest price has been introduced for the tariff valid during the entire flight - $50 for 150 MB.
3. An innovation was a free package that gives you the opportunity to access the World Wide Web in just 5 minutes, and the amount of traffic should not exceed 5 MB.
4. Along with these improvements, an additional time limit has been approved. Now, to use the purchased traffic, the passenger is given only 15 minutes, and not the entire flight time, as it was before.

Many people need access to the network constantly, almost around the clock, regardless of where they are - on the ground or in the sky. Whether you can use the Internet on airplanes depends on the individual carriers, but most often they provide such a service.

Many companies allow you to use Wi-Fi on board

How does the internet work on board

A satellite dish installed on board is able to pick up a signal from cell towers on the ground, as well as from repeater satellites flying in the sky. The tower system is called ATG (air-to-group). Connecting to repeaters is required when an aircraft loses contact with earth towers, such as when flying over the ocean. Repeaters have a range of hundreds of thousands of kilometers, so passengers will not be left without access to the network.

Satellite communication begins to work immediately after takeoff and climb 3000 km. Passengers can use satellite Internet throughout the flight.

However, not all carriers can provide passengers with the Internet on the plane for free use, because special equipment is very expensive. As an alternative, they offer watching videos or movies, as well as listening to music. But still, some carriers can afford such a luxury on board.

Another interesting technology that airlines around the world are gradually starting to use is the Deep Packet Inspection system. It is a system capable of parsing all the packets that pass through it at higher levels. It is capable of simultaneously covering thousands of liners from hundreds of companies. The technology allows you to determine which Internet sites are the most popular among users in order to “throw” the highest speed on them. This allows speed not to be scattered on other resources, and users to sit on their favorite sites. Sites that pull the most traffic, such as online videos, are blocked so that other users do not suffer from low speed.

Connection speed and call quality

The ATG system is installed in most aircraft, however, it is not able to provide a good connection speed. In the US, this technology works at the border of 3 megahertz, which is very small for ordinary users. For comparison, the speed of the most low-power home Wi-Fi is at least 20 megahertz. Wi-Fi on an airplane using such a system will be slower than regular mobile Internet.

More advanced and expensive airlines use a satellite system called Ku-band (ku band), which allows you to reach speeds of 50 megahertz. But there is a problem here too. Given the fact that a huge number of people are connecting to the satellite at the same time, it becomes problematic to surf the Internet, as the connection speed is significantly reduced.

The most innovative progressive airlines are gradually introducing a system of the so-called Ka-band, which gives speeds of hundreds of megabytes per second. This technology allows you to watch videos, listen to music and even conduct online broadcasts at the maximum load of the cabin. But it should be understood that the technology is quite expensive, as are the plane tickets in which it is used.

You need to pay to join

How much does it cost to connect to wi-fi on an airplane

On some planes, wi-fi is already included in the ticket price, while on others it is available for a fee. The amount of payment depends on which tariff is chosen and how much the company spends on servicing the technology.

How to pay and join

In different planes, payment and connection are carried out in different ways, but almost all have the following system:

1. As the plane takes off, the flight attendant tells you how to connect to the internet.
2. The equipment installed on board “remembers” how much traffic each passenger needed.
3. Before boarding, the Internet is turned off, and the cost of connection is deducted from the passenger's card.

If the cabin operates a different scheme, you will be notified immediately before takeoff or during check-in.

Which Russian and foreign airlines provide internet on the plane

Not all airlines are yet ready to please passengers with an Internet connection, but some can. So, which airlines have access to the network:

1. Aeroflot offers to use the Internet on absolutely all flights. You can pay for the service on board using bank transfer. Connection costs up to $40 for 180 minutes. Those who need internet for 15 minutes can connect for $5. If this is not enough for a passenger, he can buy each subsequent MB of traffic for $1.
2. Virgin America and AirTran Airways provide internet on all aircraft.
3. American Airlines also allows you to connect to the Internet, but not on all flights, but only on 80% of them.
4. Lufthansa, Oman Air and Qatar Airways only provide internet on 25% of flights, and on those it is available mostly in business class.

The following foreign airlines also provide Internet access: AirAsia, Air Berlin, Air France-KLM, British Airways, Cebu Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Ryanai, Vietnam Airlines.

But the airline S7 Airlines, which is the leader in Russia immediately after Aeroflot, has not yet equipped its aircraft with equipment for accessing the Internet, although many passengers ask for it. In the cabin, you can use the airline's special application, watching entertainment videos, but the Internet is not yet available to users. Wireless connectivity is available at all airports that serve the company, so you have the opportunity to go online just before your flight.

So, the Internet on the plane is available from many airlines, but not all. In addition, in most cases this service is paid and quite expensive, so you should think about the advisability of using it in advance.