UK-based airline Virgin Atlantic has equipped its entire fleet of 39 aircraft with Wi-Fi connectivity, becoming the first European carrier to be fully connected with Wi-Fi.
Virgin Atlantic partner Delta Air Lines fleet is also included in the scheme.
With the development, passengers travelling on Virgin Atlantic long-haul flights starting to and from the US, Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East will receive internet connectivity during their entire journey.
The passengers will be able to email, browse webpages and socialise at a height of 35,000ft with certain charges.
Virgin Atlantic’s Wi-Fi connectivity uses a mix of Panasonic and Gogo technology. Passengers travelling on the airline’s 787 fleet will use Wi-Fi from Panasonic, while the A330s, 747s, A340-600s customers will use Gogo technology.
Virgin Atlantic customer executive vice-president Mark Anderson said: “Innovation has always been in our blood and we’ve worked closely with Wi-Fi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer Wi-Fi between the UK and the Caribbean, China and Africa.
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By GlobalData“And of course, we wouldn’t be Virgin Atlantic if we weren’t going to signify this moment with something special, so we’ve planned a summer of spectacular #LiveFromVirgin events for our customers.
“Keep an eye out on our social channels for your chance to get involved.”
Several Virgin Atlantic studies have revealed that 42% of customers select the Wi-Fi max package, which remains throughout the flight, while the most popular routes for Wi-Fi use include London Heathrow to New York (JFK), San Francisco and Atlanta.
