Cathay Pacific To Launch High-Speed Inflight Wifi
Cathay Pacific will be launching in-flight Wifi on their entire fleet of wide-body aircraft starting next year. This will see passengers on almost all of Cathay’s international flights having access to high-speed broadband connection above the clouds, as well as on some flights with the airline’s regional arm Cathay Dragon flights.
Expected to start rolling out in mid-2018, the introduction of Gogo’s 2Ku satellite-based broadband systems on board all of Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s is slated for completion in 2020.
The move to offer in-flight connectivity is one that follows increased demand from passengers who more increasingly these days
see it as a dealbreaker
. The widebody fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s will join the airline’s newest aircraft, the A350, which already features in-flight Wifi.
These three aircraft are the only ones Cathay Pacific operates, while regional subsidiary Cathay Dragon flies the A330 along with A321s and A320s.
Paul Loo, the airline’s chief customer and commercial officer, said: “We have been listening to our customers who have told us that staying connected is important to them
“We envisage that by 2020, all of our wide-body aircraft will have in-flight connectivity capabilities. This will open up a wealth of opportunities for us to provide more innovative experiences for our customers.”
The new system will be one of the fastest connections in the sky and may even make video and music streaming an onboard possibility.
The airline currently offers WiFi on its newest Airbus A350 aircraft for US$9.95 for one hour and US$12.95 for six hours. To be connected the entire flight costs US$19.95.