WiFi? Why not, say leading budget carriers adding service

WiFi? Why not, say leading budget carriers adding service

Browsing the internet and sending emails at 35,000 feet above ground, considered a luxury and available mostly on premium airlines, is making its way to low-cost carriers in Thailand.

Thai AirAsia hopes to pioneer in-flight WiFi for low-cost airlines in Thailand.

Top players Thai AirAsia (TAA) and Nok Air are working to make broadband connectivity available on their flights in the next few months as an add-on to their otherwise meagre in-flight services.

Both are trying to increase the appeal of their airlines, responding to the lifestyle of the new generation of passengers who want to stay connected.

"It's the fifth essential of life people can't live without today," TAA chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld told the Bangkok Post, referring to a WiFi connection.

TAA has been outfitting its fleet of Airbus 320 jetliners with satellite-based WiFi and is in talks with two communication service providers, whose names Mr Tassapon declined to disclose, to set the service in motion.

He said TAA's in-flight broadband connectivity could be launched next year, depending on resolving sticky issues involving state regulations and regulatory processes.

The WiFi service will cost passengers extra, though Mr Tassapon insisted that the service charge will be affordable to reflect the airline's low-cost policy.

An industry source confirmed that an alliance of Thaicom Plc, the SET-listed satellite communications provider, and Global Eagle Entertainment Inc (GEE), a leading US-based provider of satellite-based in-flight WiFi and device-based entertainment, is in talks with TAA and Nok Air.

The alliance is expected to finalise deals with the airlines shortly, he said, noting that the WiFi service would be affordable with a charge of about 100 baht for a Thai domestic flight.

Mr Tassapon said TAA's two affiliated carriers in Southeast Asia _ Malaysia AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia _ also plan to have WiFi connectivity on their flights.

Passengers' desire to be connected at all times, a sharp drop in connection fees and the emergence of on-board WiFi service providers are expediting the introduction of in-flight broadband in the region.

An industry study shows the service is available on about 3,000 aircraft worldwide, while an estimated 15,000 aircraft will offer it by 2021.

An industry executive, who asked not to be named, questioned the demand for WiFi on short-haul flights such as the one-hour flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai unless it is provided free of charge.

There is definite demand on medium-haul and long-haul flights as people are more inclined to get connected because of the longer period away from connectivity, he said.

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