Virgin Atlantic has made its entire fleet fully Wi-Fi connected, and claims it is the first European airline to do so.
Access to the web costs anything from £2.99 to £14.99 based on the package a customer buys and which aircraft they are travelling on.
The airline says it is a year ahead of its competitors in terms of its Wi-Fi offering.
With partner airline Delta, Virgin Atlantic now offers Wi-Fi on 39 transatlantic routes a day using Panasonic technology on its Boeing 787s and Gogo technology on its Airbus A330s and A340-600s and its Boeing 747s.
It is available at altitudes above 10,000ft so that customers can connect “shortly after take-off”.
Unlike flying over Europe or the US, the Wi-Fi signal cannot come from the ground, instead being transmitted to aircraft from satellites.
So far, 42% of Virgin’s customers opt for the Wi-Fi max package, which lasts the entire flight and the airline’s data says the most popular routes for Wi-Fi use are London Heathrow to New York (JFK), San Francisco and Atlanta.
To promote the launch, Virgin Atlantic will be kicking off a series of events from the sky, using hashtag #LiveFromVirgin. One of the first will be a comedy set in the sky.
Mark Anderson, executive vice president, customer, at Virgin Atlantic, said: “From today customers flying around the world with Virgin Atlantic can work and play throughout their flight as we become the first airline in Europe to offer a fully Wi-Fi enabled fleet.”
“Innovation has always been in our blood and we’ve worked closely with Wi-Fi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer Wi-Fi between the UK and the Caribbean, China and Africa.”
“And of course we wouldn’t be Virgin Atlantic if we weren’t going to signify this moment with something special, so we’ve planned a summer of spectacular #LiveFromVirgin events for our customers. Keep an eye out on our social channels for your chance to get involved.”
Wi-Fi prices:
| Aircraft | Passes | Prices | What you get |
| 787 | WiFi light | £4.99 | 40MB data |
| WiFi max | £14.99 | 150MB data | |
| A330, A340, 747 | Messaging Pass | £2.99 | Messaging access throughout flight |
| WiFi light | £4.99 | One hour internet access | |
| WiFi max | £14.99 | Full flight internet access |