Vistara will offer 20 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi to all passengers on select international flights joining other global airlines providing free service to attract passengers.
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The airline began offering complimentary Wi-Fi service to its loyalty programme members last November and now the offer has been extended to all the passengers.
The service is available on flights operated with Airbus A321 and Boeing 787 aircraft.
Vistara is the first Indian airline to offer complimentary Wi-Fi onboard international flights, it said on Saturday. Customers can avail up to 20 minutes of free connectivity and can extend the service or buy additional plans using an Indian credit or debit card. Business class passengers will continue to enjoy 50MB data free as an added benefit while all loyalty card members get free chat service.
“At Vistara, we are committed to constantly enhancing the experience of our customers. We are confident that customers will appreciate this value addition,” the airline’s chief commercial officer Deepak Rajawat said in a statement.
Last November, Malaysia Airlines started offering unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi for messaging and social media apps on all its Airbus A350 and select Airbus A330 aircraft.
Earlier this week, Turkish Airlines said it plans to offer free unlimited Wi-Fi across all its fleet starting from the end of 2025.
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“Turkish Airlines plans to retrofit its existing fleet with the latest in-flight connectivity (IFC) technologies and equip the new aircraft with the most efficient IFC technologies available. This will enable the carrier to extend the IFC service currently offered in the majority of its fleet to the entire Turkish Airlines’ fleet, providing all passengers with unlimited, uninterrupted, and faster IFC service free of charge,” the airline said.
Emirates and Singapore Airlines also offer free Wi-Fi connectivity across all cabins to their loyalty club members.
Since the pandemic, airlines are demonstrating greater determination to engage more effectively with their customers regardless of flight duration, according to Ken Sain, CEO of Panasonic Avionics Corporation.
“Passengers have ever-changing expectations in terms of the capabilities of what they can do in flight. They are used to remote access for work in the home environment with their television technology, streaming, bluetooth, and high speed internet connectivity. Thus creating an enhanced in-flight experience is an integral part of effective passenger engagement. It is a key factor in the decisions we’re seeing from airline executives, who want to deliver on the promise of their brands, drive greater passenger loyalty and build revenue,” Sain said.