Lufthansa expands free inflight WiFi

Lufthansa will offer free unlimited WiFi messaging on all long-range ‘intercontinental’ flights from the middle of this year.

It’s an expansion of the program already available on selected short- and medium-range Airbus A320 flights.

“From (northern) summer we will also enable unlimited free messaging on all our long-haul flights, for everyone,” Lufthansa’s Chief Customer Officer Heiko Reitz told Executive Traveller during a media briefing in Munich this week.

Inflight messaging is currently priced from €5 or US$7, with connection speeds up to 100kbps, but these upgraded long-range jets will let all passengers use messaging apps for free to exchange texts and photos with those on the ground.

Free messaging is already available on many short- to medium-range Lufthansa flights.

As with the current A320 system, passengers will need to log into Lufthansa’s FlyNet hotspot using their Miles&More rewards number or their ‘personal Travel ID’.

Lufthansa is also continuing to roll out WiFi capability across its A320-series family.

However, free full Internet access will remain off the menu for now, and perhaps for some time to come.

“First of all, we are very happy to introduce free messaging now to all our customers,” Reitz said. “I think this is a huge step, giving them the ability to be in contact with everyone.”

As to free high-speed WiFi, “of course (we are) looking to all alternatives which are also in the market, and see how we can fill the development.”

“But for us, it’s a big step to offer this for free to every customer.”

Lufthansa currently charges all passengers except those in first class for full Internet access, which means that even business class travellers must pay anywhere from €15 to €25 for a 4Mbps connection.

David Flynn travelled to Munich as a guest of Lufthansa