Originally Posted by
Cerberus
Heh, yeah I noticed this recently on my last two flights. Here's my approach, login to use the free SMS as Aeroplan member, then do the login for WIFI and get AC to send the code via SMS instead of email.
Originally Posted by
yeg2where
I had the same issue on Saturday (AC8908 and AC155) . I logged in to get SMS access first, but AC's SMS didn't come through until I landed and turned cellular back on
The free "text messaging" doesn't actually support SMS. It supports messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp, as detailed in
this thread.
On an aircraft with a satellite-based WiFi system, it may be possible to receive the SMS while still connected to the cell network, or one could turn off the WiFi for a moment to collect the 2FA e-mail from one's e-mail, then turn it back on to sign in.
I think I was also once signed in via the cell network before turning on WiFi, and the AC WiFi network didn't ask me to log in once I got to the WiFi page (I had to click the link to sign in, but when I did, it realized I was already logged in). But I'm not 100% sure of the sequence of events that led to that, so I haven't posted it as a suggestion.
The easiest way to avoid this issue is just to disable 2FA.