Oct 1, 2017, 1:57 am
Last edit by: sigma421
Onboard WiFi has been introduced to BA's fleet and is being marketed as Highlife Connect. This thread is to track the rollout. See https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb.../wifi-on-board for BA's FAQ on the system.
Long-haul aircraft with WiFi fitted
A350-1000 - All fitted (12 aircraft).
A380 - All fitted (12 aircraft)
777-200ER - All fitted (43 aircraft)
777-300ER - All fitted (16 aircraft)
787-8 - 0/12 aircraft
787-9 - 14/18 aircraft
G-ZBKA, G-ZBKB, G-ZBKC, G-ZBKD, G-ZBKG, G-ZBKH, G-ZBKI, G-ZBKJ, G-ZBKK, G-ZBKL, G-ZBKM, G-ZBKN, G-ZBKO, G-ZBKP
787-10 - All fitted (2 aircraft).
BA are currently trialling free WiFi in first class cabins. For those in other cabins the current cost on all long-haul aircraft is:
Note that prices and services offered are subject to change.
787-8 - G-ZBJA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/M
787-9 - G-ZBKE/F/R/S
The majority of aircraft have wi-fi equipment fitted with the exception of those expected to retire within the next few years. Wi-fi equipment is installed after delivery and the rate at which this happens appears to have slowed down post-COVID.
A319 - 12/29 Aircraft
G-EUOA
G-EUPL/M/N/O/P/R/S/T/U/Y/Z
A320 - 61/67 Aircraft
G-EUUA/B/C/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/R/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z
G-EUYA/B/D/E/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T/U/V/W/X
G-GATH/J/K/M/N/P/R/S/U
G-MEDK
G-MIDO/S/T/X/Y
G-TTOB/E
A320neo - 17/20 Aircraft
G-TTNA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/Q/R
Wi-fi installation has not yet occurred for aircraft delivered from October 2022 onwards.
A321 - 15/18 Aircraft
G-EUXC/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M
G-MEDL/M/N
A321neo - All fitted (10 aircraft)
The price of WiFi on short-haul flights varies according to the length of the route. The following prices are known:
Messaging - £1.99 or £2.99 depending on flight distance.
Browse & Stream (one hour) - £4.99
Browse & Stream (whole flight)
£4.99 (MAN / NCL)
£6.99 (ARN / HAM)
£7.99 (KRK / LIS / MAS / PMI)
£8.99 (AGP)
£9.99 (LED / SOF)
£11.99 (LCA)
Short-haul aircraft not planned to receive WiFi due to retirement
A319 - 18 Aircraft
G-EUOE/F/G
G-EUPD/G/J/K/W
G-DBCA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/J/K
Background information:
Long-haul aircraft with WiFi fitted
A350-1000 - All fitted (12 aircraft).
A380 - All fitted (12 aircraft)
777-200ER - All fitted (43 aircraft)
777-300ER - All fitted (16 aircraft)
787-8 - 0/12 aircraft
787-9 - 14/18 aircraft
G-ZBKA, G-ZBKB, G-ZBKC, G-ZBKD, G-ZBKG, G-ZBKH, G-ZBKI, G-ZBKJ, G-ZBKK, G-ZBKL, G-ZBKM, G-ZBKN, G-ZBKO, G-ZBKP
787-10 - All fitted (2 aircraft).
BA are currently trialling free WiFi in first class cabins. For those in other cabins the current cost on all long-haul aircraft is:
- 1 hour: £7.99
- 4 hours: £17.99
- Full flight: up to £23.99 depending on route
Note that prices and services offered are subject to change.
Long-haul aircraft still to be fitted with WiFi
787-8 - G-ZBJA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/M
787-9 - G-ZBKE/F/R/S
Short-haul and mid-haul aircraft known to have WiFi fitted and enabled
The majority of aircraft have wi-fi equipment fitted with the exception of those expected to retire within the next few years. Wi-fi equipment is installed after delivery and the rate at which this happens appears to have slowed down post-COVID.
A319 - 12/29 Aircraft
G-EUOA
G-EUPL/M/N/O/P/R/S/T/U/Y/Z
A320 - 61/67 Aircraft
G-EUUA/B/C/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/R/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z
G-EUYA/B/D/E/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/R/S/T/U/V/W/X
G-GATH/J/K/M/N/P/R/S/U
G-MEDK
G-MIDO/S/T/X/Y
G-TTOB/E
A320neo - 17/20 Aircraft
G-TTNA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/Q/R
Wi-fi installation has not yet occurred for aircraft delivered from October 2022 onwards.
A321 - 15/18 Aircraft
G-EUXC/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M
G-MEDL/M/N
A321neo - All fitted (10 aircraft)
The price of WiFi on short-haul flights varies according to the length of the route. The following prices are known:
Messaging - £1.99 or £2.99 depending on flight distance.
Browse & Stream (one hour) - £4.99
Browse & Stream (whole flight)
£4.99 (MAN / NCL)
£6.99 (ARN / HAM)
£7.99 (KRK / LIS / MAS / PMI)
£8.99 (AGP)
£9.99 (LED / SOF)
£11.99 (LCA)
Short-haul aircraft not planned to receive WiFi due to retirement
A319 - 18 Aircraft
G-EUOE/F/G
G-EUPD/G/J/K/W
G-DBCA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/J/K
Background information:
FAQ : Status of on-board WiFi rollout on BA aircraft
Dec 8, 2017, 2:20 pm
#91
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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The crowdsourcing used in this thread to identify 4 SuperJ aircraft (see wiki) with wifi appears to have been successful, BA have confirmed that only 4 aircraft have operating wifi at the moment. However they have told Trade and Speedbird:
Originally Posted by BA
For a limited period thanks to our partner Visa, we are offering all customers flying on a Wi-Fi enabled aircraft one hour of free browsing connectivity until the end of January. If the aircraft is enabled, an announcement will be made by the cabin crew and instructions will be available on how to register and log on by joining the ‘BA Wi-Fi’ network.
Dec 8, 2017, 8:27 pm
#93
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That's good to hear. I won't be on BA until next few years or so. I was hoped if they will installed wifi on the entire 747-400 or 777 aircraft, as well as short-haul flight.
Dec 8, 2017, 9:03 pm
#94
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
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I would think by the time you next fly BA the chances are that the roll out will be complete. If I remember correctly, BA intends to have 90% of its fleet kitted out with WiFi.
Dec 8, 2017, 11:16 pm
#95
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Gogo haven't got clearance to fit the system onto 787's yet as far as I'm aware. You have to bear in mind this is a fairly new system and every type of plane has to get an STC from the regulator before it can be fitted. The last press release I saw from Gogo on this subject was in September. It didn't mention the 787 or A380 as planes they have STC's for. Even the 767 is mentioned as a type they were hoping to get clearance for 'later this year'.
Gogo Inflight Internet Gogo Receives Regulatory Approval to Install 2Ku on Boeing 777 Aircraft - Gogo Concourse
Gogo Inflight Internet Gogo Receives Regulatory Approval to Install 2Ku on Boeing 777 Aircraft - Gogo Concourse
Just wondered why every Emirates A380 has Wi-fi, but they use SITA which has been available to install since 2011....
Completely free to FF members and 2 hours free to non status passengers. No talk of a "sponsor".
Dec 9, 2017, 12:01 am
#96
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 22,127
Any WiFi is better than nothing right now, but some wifi is nearly unusable. For instance, SQ A380 one is incredibly slow, prone to drop-put and the maximum plan you can get for the flight is 50MB, which you would soon use up if you are trying to send a large-ish attachment to your email and it keeps dropping out and it has to start again. I had to buy two lots of 50MB on a flight, and it felt a bit annoying paying something like USD 40 (USD 20 x 2, from memory) after paying £8k for the trip although I got over it. It's the OnAir system from memory.
Anyway, it took nearly an hour to send a 20MB attachment (that's when it didn't drop out part-way) due to its slow speed. It wasn't an exception as that's pretty normal on the SQ A380. On the other hand their newer system on their A350 is far superior, much faster, and it's a timed flat rate, and isn't so prone to drop-out (basically, thankfully that is also the case on their 77W). This one I think is Panasonic.
In my experience though their A380 had less downtime (but lots and lots of drop-outs) than their A350/77W.
Then I recently used the wifi on LX on their 77W. The speed is about the same as the SQ A350/77W, but the pricing was pretty steep, at 50MB for CHF 19 I think, up to 120MB for CHF 59 (smaller plans are available). Quite a bit of downtime also.
Both LX and SQ ones are payable regardless of the cabin.
On the other hand JL one is timed rather than based on MB, and free for the whole flight for F passengers, and the speed seems to be similar to SQ A350/77W and LX 77W. (JL also have free wifi on their wifi-equipped domestic fleet.). I haven't noticed much downtime but this was mainly for a different route so it's not really fair to compare the downtime with others.
From what I gather (in fact based on the speed reported by users it is probably a fact rather than my guess), BA's is faster than any of those, and the pricing seems to be pretty sensible, so I hope it's a good, reliable one when it eventually gets installed on non-747s. Sadly no 747s on the routes I fly, so I am currently having to fly other carriers on longer journeys.
Anyway, it took nearly an hour to send a 20MB attachment (that's when it didn't drop out part-way) due to its slow speed. It wasn't an exception as that's pretty normal on the SQ A380. On the other hand their newer system on their A350 is far superior, much faster, and it's a timed flat rate, and isn't so prone to drop-out (basically, thankfully that is also the case on their 77W). This one I think is Panasonic.
In my experience though their A380 had less downtime (but lots and lots of drop-outs) than their A350/77W.
Then I recently used the wifi on LX on their 77W. The speed is about the same as the SQ A350/77W, but the pricing was pretty steep, at 50MB for CHF 19 I think, up to 120MB for CHF 59 (smaller plans are available). Quite a bit of downtime also.
Both LX and SQ ones are payable regardless of the cabin.
On the other hand JL one is timed rather than based on MB, and free for the whole flight for F passengers, and the speed seems to be similar to SQ A350/77W and LX 77W. (JL also have free wifi on their wifi-equipped domestic fleet.). I haven't noticed much downtime but this was mainly for a different route so it's not really fair to compare the downtime with others.
From what I gather (in fact based on the speed reported by users it is probably a fact rather than my guess), BA's is faster than any of those, and the pricing seems to be pretty sensible, so I hope it's a good, reliable one when it eventually gets installed on non-747s. Sadly no 747s on the routes I fly, so I am currently having to fly other carriers on longer journeys.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Dec 9, 2017 at 12:09 am
Dec 9, 2017, 12:22 am
#97
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
I haven't yet come across a wifi I would consider any way fast, however the ones I have used are good enough for most emailing and social media.
This can be a real blessing....arriving after a long haul flight and you don't have a mailbox of dozens of .messages to trawl through. The prices vary dramatically too.
Let's face it though, BA are behind the curve on this, and with normal BA roll out speeds (as seen by bedding, CW food etc) it ain't going to happen any time soon.
It could make for an interesting thread though - tracking roll out of food, bedding, wifi - anyone who gets all three can shout 'house'. If you travel from LGW on the other hand I predict that you can safely log out until at least 2020. Those 777s are going for densification, an ideal time to install wifi at the same time.
This can be a real blessing....arriving after a long haul flight and you don't have a mailbox of dozens of .messages to trawl through. The prices vary dramatically too.
Let's face it though, BA are behind the curve on this, and with normal BA roll out speeds (as seen by bedding, CW food etc) it ain't going to happen any time soon.
It could make for an interesting thread though - tracking roll out of food, bedding, wifi - anyone who gets all three can shout 'house'. If you travel from LGW on the other hand I predict that you can safely log out until at least 2020. Those 777s are going for densification, an ideal time to install wifi at the same time.
Dec 9, 2017, 4:09 am
#98
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Brisbane
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Posts: 419
Dec 9, 2017, 4:35 am
#99
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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One of my pet annoyances is the ever ballooning size of attachments, the King James Bible can be sent as a 1.4 mb ePub file (and it has a few maps in it), so nothing should be bigger than that. There again my current email account is 33 years old and can still work with its original PDP-10 address, beginning with the number 7. And in those days concision was a necessity.
Dec 9, 2017, 5:09 am
#100
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
One of my pet annoyances is the ever ballooning size of attachments, the King James Bible can be sent as a 1.4 mb ePub file (and it has a few maps in it), so nothing should be bigger than that. There again my current email account is 33 years old and can still work with its original PDP-10 address, beginning with the number 7. And in those days concision was a necessity.
The internet should eat that kind of digital junk, really. Maybe that's what the SQ A380 wifi was doing. Protest against digital junk (especially death-by-PowerPoint).
Regardless though, even some purely text-based emails were very slow to download/send, so it was functional but not really good for the waste-of-bandwidth modern day files.
Hopefully BA wifi, when it eventually reaches me, will not be so slow as to add to my aggravation like this.
Dec 9, 2017, 9:36 am
#101
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
Is this really such a big job? It's not as if wifi on aircraft is that cutting edge any more - other airlines have had it for some time.
If this all trundles along like the CW catering and bedding roll out it could clearly take a little time (translate as 'if you a LGW traveller don't hold your breath).
On the 787s, if they are going to be sat around awaiting engines then surely a good opportunity to handle it.
If this all trundles along like the CW catering and bedding roll out it could clearly take a little time (translate as 'if you a LGW traveller don't hold your breath).
On the 787s, if they are going to be sat around awaiting engines then surely a good opportunity to handle it.
The job I believe is done in CWL (don't know about the 380s) so it's a bit of an issue for the 78s since trucking them on the M4 is not that convenient!
Dec 9, 2017, 10:02 am
#103
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And the EK 'free' Wifi is limited 20MB, so not a great deal these days. Also, it seems that Silvers don't get the full free package anymore when in Y (or at least my missus didn't last week).
Dec 9, 2017, 11:54 am
#105
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
And every Emirates A380 I've been on has had terrible Wifi. Better to get something decent rather than something that may or may not allow you to download your emails once or twice a flight.
And the EK 'free' Wifi is limited 20MB, so not a great deal these days. Also, it seems that Silvers don't get the full free package anymore when in Y (or at least my missus didn't last week).
And the EK 'free' Wifi is limited 20MB, so not a great deal these days. Also, it seems that Silvers don't get the full free package anymore when in Y (or at least my missus didn't last week).
For many people 20mb is enough for whatsapp etc.
Still it's better than the wifi on BA A380s, eh