
ANA expanded the eligibility for free wi-fi use on its international flights from yesterday, October 9, 2024, 1 a.m. Japan time by adding free texting for premium economy and economy class passengers. With that, passengers in all classes can use complimentary onboard internet on most of the airline’s international flights.
The free service is limited to sending and receiving text messages through apps such as LINE, WhatsApp iMessage, Google Chat, and Facebook Messenger; it does not include the ability to send or receive images, videos, and other files.
Passengers traveling on select Boeing 787-8 and 767-300ER aircraft that do not offer onboard connectivity and on 777-300ERs that are not equipped with ANA’s newer THE Room seats, which are equipped with Inmarsat’s rather than Panasonic Avionics’ connectivity solution, cannot use the service.
Those traveling on the latter, as well as premium economy and economy class passengers who want to use wi-fi without being restricted to texting (albeit still excluding streaming, video calls, etc.) can purchase one of the airline’s paid packages:
- 30 minutes: $6.95
- 3 hours: $16.95
- Full flight: $21.95
Those traveling in first class were the first group of passengers to receive free internet access, starting from June 2018. Business class passengers followed recently, in August 2024. Both first and business class passengers receive vouchers that allow them to use unlimited wi-fi for the duration of their flights on one device.
ANA first rolled out free wi-fi to its domestic passengers, who have been able to use the service from April 2018.
At the beginning of this month, JAL expanded its free wi-fi service to business, premium economy, and economy class passengers as well. The airline now offers a structure similar to ANA’s with the exception being that JAL passengers can use unrestricted free wi-fi for one hour rather than text for the entire flight.