Which Are the Best Airlines for Inflight Wi-Fi?

With our worlds literally in our hands through our smartphones, we are more conditioned than ever to be constantly connected online.

In a new study, Bionic revealed that we spend 76% of our waking hours online, between work, social media, and entertainment, so why would we expect this to be any different when we travel?

Online searches for the ‘best airline wifi’ are up 240% as frequent fliers are searching for the airlines that are going to ensure they are not left disconnected from the rest of the world ahead of their summer trips. 

In light of this, business connectivity experts Bionic have uncovered which airlines have the best Wi-Fi connectivity onboard, and which have left passengers wanting more.

Best and Worst Airlines for Inflight Wi-Fi

To create the ranking, Bionic analysed download speed, pricing packages and ranking of onboard entertainment (including Wi-Fi) of the biggest airlines currently offering in-flight Wi-Fi. The closer the score is to one, the better the Wi-Fi onboard.

JetBlue: Best Inflight Wi-Fi

JetBlue has the highest rated onboard Wi-Fi with a top score of 2.6. This is thanks to a high entertainment rating online of 4 out of 5, average Wi-Fi speeds of 20Mbps, and the package being free for all customers.

Online reviewers reported that the “free Wi-Fi worked great” and that it was a “great surprise” as it can often come with a hefty price tag on other operators. 

Hawaiian Airlines: Second-Best Airline for Onboard Connectivity

Hawaiian Airlines ranks second with a score of 3.8. The airline has an entertainment rating of 3.5 out of 5, however has even faster download speeds than JetBlue, at 100Mbps.

Hawaiian Airlines also provides this for free for its customers meaning they can continue with any urgent work or even just stream movies whilst on board. Customers were pleased to see they had “Wi-Fi the entire flight”.

Philippine Airlines: Worst Inflight Wi-Fi

Philippine Airlines came in last place in the ranking, with a poor score of 19.8. This means it has the worst Wi-Fi of all airlines analysed.

It’s poor online rating of its entertainment and Wi-Fi only ranked at 2.5, which although not the lowest of the airlines, the fact that the Wi-Fi speed only reaches 7 Kbps, and this all comes at a cost means flyers are left unimpressed by the offering. 

Eurowings: Second-Worst Airline for Onboard Connectivity

Eurowings, based in Germany, has the second-worst-rated Wi-Fi of all the airlines Bionic analysed, with a score of 18.6.

The airline only scored two out of five in online reviews of entertainment. It came in with a low average speed of 1.5 Mbps. This comes at a cost for its users, starting at approximately €3.90 for half an hour on short distance flights. 

Protect Yourself When Using Wi-Fi Onboard

Using in-flight WiFi can put you at risk similar to other public Wi-Fi networks. There are also specific concerns related to in-flight connectivity to be aware of. The experts at Bionic reveal the five most important steps to protect your data when using in-flight WiFi:

1. Use a VPN – a VPN encrypts your internet connection. This makes it difficult for hackers to intercept your data and adding an extra layer of protection.
2. Enable HTTPS – Ensure all websites you visit use HTTPS to encrypt data between your browser and the website server.
3. Avoid Sensitive Transactions – Hold off on any sensitive activities like online banking or shopping while connected to in-flight WiFi. Wait until you are on a secure network.
4. Keep Software Updated – Regularly update your device’s operating system and antivirus software to protect against any security risks.
5. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Add this extra layer of security to your online accounts. This makes unauthorised access more difficult, in case you do fall victim to any viruses.

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