Last Updated on August 25, 2023 by AirwaysWiFiGuide Team
In our life, the importance of Wi-Fi is increasing day by day. Whether you are a regular or occasional Airplane traveler, then you will probably realize the importance of good quality Wi-Fi service on board.
Accessing Wi-Fi service on your plane journey can be very crucial for you whether you check your emails, surf your social media network, or download any files. However, getting high-quality internet speed on thousand feet above the ground can be a very daunting task.
However, the good news for you is that some Wi-Fi providers working hard to provide you with the best Wi-Fi service while you are on board an airplane. In this article we will discuss them and how they work.
So, How Does Inflight Wi-Fi work?
Inflight Wi-Fi service is provided by using various types of methods. The first method that is used to provide inflight Wi-Fi service is Air To Ground(ATG) method. In this ATG method, some antennas are installed in the fuselage base(belly) of an airplane.
So, when your plane or aircraft moves throughout different places, these antennas automatically reconnect to the nearest towers of different locations in the world. Signals of the cell towers are then used for using the internet service.
The problem with this kind of method is that lack of proper connectivity can occur when you travel through the remote areas for too long.
The second method of getting inflight Wi-Fi connectivity is Ku-Band technology which is actually a satellite technology. In this method, the Wi-Fi signal does not require relying on the cell towers.
In this method, the antennas of a plane face the satellite and transmit signals via receivers and transmitters which ultimately helps users to get access to internet service. The third method of connecting inflight Wi-Fi service is known as Ka-Band technology which is an upgraded version of KU-Band.
This method is faster than others and very reliable too. Different types of airlines use these methods according to their system capacity and budgets.
What Are The Major Wi-Fi providers Around The World?
As the airline’s inflight Wi-Fi service has started to expand throughout the world, the importance of Wi-Fi provider companies is increasing day by day. In the USA there is some popular Wi-Fi providing organizations like Gogo LLC, Panasonic Avionics & ViaSat Inc etc. Gogo, ViaSat & Panasonic Avionics are the most known three inflight Wi-Fi service providers at the current time.
There are inflight Wi-Fi service providers available in the UK, Switzerland, France & other countries that provide good quality services too. In the below table we have provided leading inflight Wi-Fi service providers based on their country.
| Wi-Fi Provider Company | Country |
| Astronics AeroSat Corporation, Astronics AeroSat Corporation Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., SmartSky Networks LLC, ThinKom Solutions, Inc. ViaSat Inc. , Gogo LLC, Honeywell International, Inc., EMS Aviation Hughes Network Systems, LLC Kymeta Corporation Panasonic Avionics | USA |
| Thales Group Zodiac Aerospace | France |
| AeroMobile Communications Limited Inmarsat plc | United Kingdom |
| TriaGnoSys | Germany |
| Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. | Israel |
| SES S.A. | Luxembourg |
| SITAONAIR | Switzerland |
GoGo
Gogo is one of the popular American inflight Wi-Fi service providers that is used by most users and is known for its high-quality service. Founded in 1991, Gogo provides inflight Wi-Fi services to more than 10000 aircraft around the world.
Famous airlines Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways etc uses Gogo inflight Wi-Fi service. Gogo provides different types of Wi-Fi packages to different airlines. The cheapest inflight Wi-Fi package provided by Gogo can be purchased for $7 which will allow you to access one-hour unlimited internet.
However, if you are a regular flyer then you can buy Gogo monthly or annually inflight Wi-Fi plans. Monthly WiFi plan is available for $49.95 per month. By visiting Gogo’s official website you can find the details information about their inflight wifi packages.
Below are the lists of airlines that use Gogo inflight WiFi service.
- Air Canada
- Cathay Pacific
- KLM
- Air France
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Dragon
- Virgin Australia
- Hainan Air
- Vietnam Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Gol Airlines
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- JTA
- LATAM
- Level
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- US Airways
- AirTran Airways
Panasonic Avionics
Panasonic Avionics was founded in 1979 and since then it is working with the trust of many clients. In recent years this provider has successfully grabbed market share. Most reputed airlines that use Panasonic Avionics inflight Wifi Services are
- Air France
- Alitalia
- Gulf Air
- Malindoair
- SAS
- Singapore Airlines
- THAI Airways
- Middle East Airlines
ViaSat
ViaSat was founded in 1986. It is a California-based inflight Wi-Fi service provider that uses the latest wifi technology to provide high-quality Wi-Fi service on board. Still, they are upgrading their service every so often. Major airlines that relies on ViaSat for their inflight Wi-Fi connectivity are
- EL AL Israel Airlines
- Icelandair
- JetBlue Airlines
- Virgin America
- United Airlines
- Finnair Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- Qantas
AeroMobile Communications Limited
A subsidiary of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, AeroMobile was founded in 2005. Although it is not as popular as Panasonic Avionics, it is providing top-quality service since its foundation.
- All Nippon Airways
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Klm
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Virgin Atlantic
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Turkish Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Air Serbia
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines
- Uzbekistan Airways
Inmarsat plc.
Inmarsat was founded in 1979 and it is a British satellite-based Wi-Fi provider. This provider uses geostationary satellite to supply inflight Wi-Fi services. Airlines that use Inmarsat Wi-Fi services on board are,
- Singapore Airlines
- AirAsia
SITAONAIR
SITAONAIR was originally founded in 2005. This Swedish company mainly provides inflight Wi-Fi service to Asian aviation companies. The most popular Airlines that use SITAONAIR service are
- Aeroflot
- Singapore Airlines
- THAI Airways
Final Word
As the Wi-Fi service of all providers is not the same in all regions of the world, many airlines rely on multiple inflight Wi-Fi service providers to ensure top-notch service. That’s why you can notice multiple airlines uses multiple Wi-Fi service providers.
It does not matter who is the internet provider of your flight, you can easily rely on these providers’ Wi-Fi services and can stay connected while you are on board. As Wi-Fi service charges and time frames vary depending on the providers, you should always check your using package availability and price in advance.
This will help you to use your data package as per your plan and you won’t miss the ultimate opportunity to use available inflight free Wi-Fi services as well. So, whatever your destination is you won’t have to miss out on the opportunity to stay connected online while you are on board.
Thanks to the evolution of inflight Wi-Fi service and thanks to those Wi-Fi providers who are working continuously to provide uninterrupted service throughout the world.