Oct 1, 17, 2:57 am
Last edit by: Prospero
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
All aircraft except those due for retirement soon have the WiFi hardware fitted but it hasn't been enabled on the whole fleet yet. The system went live on the first few aircraft in March 2019 with full rollout originally announced as expected 'by the end of summer 2019' but now expected during 2020.
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 - All fitted (17 aircraft)
G-TTNT didn't have WiFi installed shortly after delivery (post #806)
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
All aircraft except those due for retirement soon have the WiFi hardware fitted but it hasn't been enabled on the whole fleet yet. The system went live on the first few aircraft in March 2019 with full rollout originally announced as expected 'by the end of summer 2019' but now expected during 2020.
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 - All fitted (17 aircraft)
G-TTNT didn't have WiFi installed shortly after delivery (post #806)
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
Oct 1, 17, 9:10 am
#31
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 62,133
Is that all we need to confirm Wifi? In other words does the radome go hand-in-hand with Wifi installation and implementation? If so it wouldn't take long for FTers to get the list of equipped aircraft, particularly since we know who has been in CWL recently.
Oct 1, 17, 9:17 am
#32
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,032
Prospero thanks for digging up a photo of the actual BA installation. It should be fairly easy to see in good conditions (view from a gate in LHR T5, and similar). The top of an aircraft fuselage is usually quite flat and smooth, even the 744 upper deck bulge tapers at a shallow angle, so I feel it quite distinctive.
Panasonic, used by AA, and Gogo 2Ku are both Ku band and both have fairly flat antennas; the AA one is, I think, a little smaller footprint but about the same height.
I'm confident that BAEC FTers will easily recognise it.
I think the bulge for that antenna indicates satellite wifi, or at least satellite broadband data communications of some sort. I think the existing crew SATCOM system antenna is a different type, visible as a thinner blade (but I welcome confirmation from experts).
Panasonic, used by AA, and Gogo 2Ku are both Ku band and both have fairly flat antennas; the AA one is, I think, a little smaller footprint but about the same height.
I'm confident that BAEC FTers will easily recognise it.
I think the bulge for that antenna indicates satellite wifi, or at least satellite broadband data communications of some sort. I think the existing crew SATCOM system antenna is a different type, visible as a thinner blade (but I welcome confirmation from experts).
Last edited by flatlander; Oct 1, 17 at 9:29 am
Oct 1, 17, 9:22 am
#33
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,025
Is that all we need to confirm Wifi? In other words does the radome go hand-in-hand with Wifi installation and implementation? If so it wouldn't take long for FTers to get the list of equipped aircraft, particularly since we know who has been in CWL recently.
G-BNLY by JETA1PHOTOS, on Flickr
G-CIVV also has antenna radome, like G-CIVX is immediately aft of the upper deck bubble
G-CIVV - LHR by Jan, on Flickr
Last edited by Prospero; Oct 1, 17 at 9:30 am
Oct 1, 17, 12:00 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London, Babylon-on-Thames
Programs: BAEC Blue (back to Earth)
Posts: 1,429
Oct 1, 17, 2:02 pm
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 14,843
Interesting, I was on BA 114 (JFK to LHR) 2 days ago (747) and received a survey after asking if I knew that wifi was available. I did not, as there were no announcements or inserts in the seat pocket. My first thought was the survey was wrong as they asked other questions that did not apply.
Oct 1, 17, 9:02 pm
#38
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 206
Posting from aboard the BA112, which I believe is the return leg of BA173 reported above. I chose the slower speed package and it's working fine for browsing, email and even uploading some short video.
No announcement though, so it may be very lightly loaded. I only found it because I searched WiFi in desperation, there was an email I absolutely had to send while at JFK and my phone died just at the wrong moment, I could no longer access my charger etc. I had a tablet with me as well, but no mobile connection on it. I searched WiFi with the tablet hoping unrealistically that I would catch a signal from the terminal building, and instead the BA WiFi network appeared. No access on the ground but once seatbelts came off all working perfectly (the technology is 15 years old at this point, after all
). Glad I chose to fly today.
In answer to a post upthread, Gogo prepaid vouchers as from Amex are NOT valid for the service, because there does not appear to be any way to log in to your Gogo account. I tries a few times, but it seems (for now at least) the Checkout botton brings you straight to a page called Gogo Guest Checkout, with no log in option I could find. This also means credit card details will need to be entered with each use. Perhaps this will change in the future. As a point of comparison, VS Gogo planes allow the use of Amex vouchers.
Hopefully the rollout is swift.
No announcement though, so it may be very lightly loaded. I only found it because I searched WiFi in desperation, there was an email I absolutely had to send while at JFK and my phone died just at the wrong moment, I could no longer access my charger etc. I had a tablet with me as well, but no mobile connection on it. I searched WiFi with the tablet hoping unrealistically that I would catch a signal from the terminal building, and instead the BA WiFi network appeared. No access on the ground but once seatbelts came off all working perfectly (the technology is 15 years old at this point, after all
). Glad I chose to fly today.In answer to a post upthread, Gogo prepaid vouchers as from Amex are NOT valid for the service, because there does not appear to be any way to log in to your Gogo account. I tries a few times, but it seems (for now at least) the Checkout botton brings you straight to a page called Gogo Guest Checkout, with no log in option I could find. This also means credit card details will need to be entered with each use. Perhaps this will change in the future. As a point of comparison, VS Gogo planes allow the use of Amex vouchers.
Hopefully the rollout is swift.
Oct 2, 17, 7:11 am
#42
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: UK
Programs: AVIS presidents club, BAEC (GGL/CCR), HH Diamond, FPC (Premier), MR
Posts: 267
yes it would be good to know either way. Would be very useful on a flight home to be able to change a booking yourself rather than wait to land and get BA to do it. It would make less work for BA as well.
Oct 2, 17, 9:41 am
#43
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: DCA
Posts: 882
Does anyone have insight or details on this? I'm on the BWI route in a few weeks and would love wifi (although seems unlikely).
Oct 5, 17, 7:13 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,641
I'm not sure that we have had any reports of wifi being offered on G-CIVV, although plenty of reports that she has had the kit fitted.
Are we sufficiently confident that G-CIVV's wifi is actually in service?
Are we sufficiently confident that G-CIVV's wifi is actually in service?
Oct 10, 17, 5:08 pm
#45
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Silicon Valley
Programs: BA Gold, VX Gold
Posts: 154
788s and 789s will take a while. Cutting holes in carbon fiber (or, more precisely, patching the holes up afterwards) is difficult. I'd expect them to be scheduled after the 747s (and probably after the A380s as well). Gogo has committed to doing this, but at the moment, AFAIK any 788/789s with connectivity (like the AA ones) are Panasonic due to their long relationship with Boeing.
