timster

As I will be flying on the A350 soon, I thought I would check on what wifi is on offer on these new planes. Disappointed to see that it is still ridiculously expensive ....
US$34.99 for 100 mb
https://www.thaiairways.com/en/exp-m...-on-board.page

A few quick comparisons ..

EVA US$21.95 for 24 hours
Emirates 20mb free; 500mb for US$15.99
ANA - whole flight US$21.95
Cathay For flights of 6 hours or less at USD12.95
For flights above 6 hours at USD19.95

If I had to have internet access on a flight (eg for work) I would be choosing an airline other than TG.

BinSabai

in premium classes you also get free some MB

Flyingbiker

Really? I did BKK AKL last week in J and no offer at all

hgp

On TG in F /J where wifi is available they will often give out 5MB coupon cards. If you ask, they may sling a couple more your way.

Unfortunately, 5MB is just not enough to do anything meaningful and the process of reconnecting using a new coupon card is just slow and painful.

EK now offers unlimited wifi to Skywards members. It’s slow, but sufficient for email and messaging.

ChampagneSocialist

Unfortunately OP is right, it is also too slow. If one must have fast, plentiful and reasonably priced wifi then TG is not for you, you'd want to go with an airline that uses Gogo / T Mobile like JAL. OTOH, if you want a decent hard product, classically Thai service and excellent food, and can live without wifi, choose TG!

JVPhoto

Really? I would have just expensed it and not cared so that I could select the carrier that suits me more than just having the cheapest wifi.

ChampagneSocialist

I have also expensed it TG in the past but as I suggested in my other post, it's not (only) cost that's the problem. TG's wifi is simply dog slow compared to other airlines using presumably newer technology - on the LHR-BKK route I found it just about fast enough for Whatsapp messaging; for even general web browsing it felt like a 3G phone at best and dial-up at worst.

And 100Mb limit doesn't just cut it nowadays, it is now 2017 not 2003. A PowerPoint presentation with lots of images could easily run up 20Mb or more - don't forget 100Mb includes uploads as well as downloads.

On TG I learned the hard way when I forgot to turn off auto-sync on my mail client, and it used up all 100Mb just from downloading the day's email. Don't forget to turn off anything that autosyncs including Dropbox, iCloud, auto app updates etc. etc. My employer would be less than happy if I expensed multiple chunks of 100Mb Wifi...

Now, on a recent JAL itinerary I expensed less than USD 20 on ultra-fast Wifi, which lasted me for 24 hours even on the connecting flight (HEL-NRT-CGK). THAT was money well spent for my employer as I was working round the clock with US colleagues on a deadline, and we ended up winning a $2m contract. (No I would not have been able to do the same on TG as the slow connection would probably have timed out on the submission website..)

vbroucek

Well, I will probably get flogged for this, but here it goes. I wish there was NO Wi-Fi on any flights or it was even more expensive than it is right now... Most of travellers would be relieved... Too many reasons to list here...

Disclaimer: this comes from IT security professional who needs to be connected most of the times, but also prefers to have uninterrupted travel... And yes, my clients are demanding, want me to be available most of the times, pay for my travel in J or F, but also agree, that I should have at least some rest when I travel long haul...

CPH-Flyer

I kind of agree.

I use wifi on JAL extensively as I get it for free on all flights. But I rarely do anything for work, I need to get away from the mail server from time to time. It is mainly as an additional option for inflight entertainment as I very quickly get through the months selection of movies. I miss the extra entertainment when I don't have it, but I can mostly find a movie worth a repeat. I have only in exceptional cases paid for access on other airlines.

BinSabai

I can not understand, why they charge Premium passenger for WIFI
they paid a high price for the tickets on an all inclusive base and so why to charge them a small amount for WIFI bares no logic
Even if one claims that not all passengers need it and so they charge for those who want it, it does not make sense
They also do not charge for the glass of champagne (many don't drink alcohol), they do not charge for a special meal or for the cheese plate (many eat normal menu and skip cheese), they do not charge for watching movie etc.

CPH-Flyer

I guess the main reason is that it is fairly expensive to equip the planes, and has relatively high operational costs. Though some airlines do offer it for free to premium passengers.

Duhh

Does anyone want a free 5MB WiFi code for use on their next A350 flight?

phrasuthon

I gave up with THAI Wifi overpriced and my personal account which I have been using on my last flight was deleted. I don't know how Turkish airlines managed their affordable prices on their own flights in/out BKK (anywhere) but at least THAI should follow them and definitely change the management in this case!

timster

Airlines still seem to be struggling with getting the business model for wifi right, and understanding the nature of the demand. Qantas for example installed it but priced it so high that no one bothered, and then they said well no one wants it, so they pulled it out. Now several years later they are struggling to catch up with airlines who priced it more sensibly and have made it work.

Yes it may be expensive to set up (and run ?). But it has now become a differentiator between airlines, and I am sure there are business travellers (where most revenue is) who choose their airline based at least partly on wifi.

I will use it mainly for entertainment. I find that I exhaust TG's VOD offerings on one flight, so if I am flying again before they update the content then I have little to keep me entertained. If someone tries to contact me for work while flying I can always claim 'damned wifi ... it never works !'.

vbroucek

Don't know what routes you are on @timster, but those I am on, I usually try to get some sleep to get my circadian clock as close to my destination's time zone as possible, so I am actually mostly grateful that on-board Internet either does not work or is too expensive... And yes, my clients pay me really well to be available most of the times, but so far none of them complained when I did not respond during times I was supposed to be flying. Well, with one exception, when certain government paid for private jet to ferry me from Australia to France and was expecting me to work on the issue on my way there - and of course their Internet connection was flawless and super secure Then again, it actually was not Internet I was connecting to...