Hi. From a U.S.-based perspective, trips to highly praised far flung great dive destinations such as the Philippines, Raja Ampat, Komodo and others (I'm guessing Fiji would qualify?) have one major #1 barrier in place; those horrible-sounding very long flights, sometimes before or after (or both) other flights. I'm talking 12+ hours on one non-stop flight. Coupled with the high up-charge one may see with business or first class, it sounds like torment in economy class is just part of the price paid.
One thing that might help ameliorate that a bit is in-flight wifi Internet service. I get that some modern aircraft have a selection of movies and other things which is fine, but many of us are used to engagement with online activities rather than hours of passive viewing (
note: if you want to access their content on some planes, you need the airline app. on your phone; consider downloading it in advance). But in Jan. 2020 on my Galapagos trip, once we left the U.S. on an international flight, I encountered a rude surprise...in-flight wifi was not an option.
So, those of you who fly American Airlines (or whichever other airlines take you for the long international flights to/from Indonesia, the Philippines, etc...), how common is it to have the option of in-flight wifi Internet service, and roughly what does it cost? Note: I did some online searching seeking an answer myself, but I'd like to hear from those who've traveled recent what your real world experience was, and maybe this thread can help other people considering a trip, too.
I did a little Googling for American Airlines
and found "
International Wi-Fi is available on all Boeing 777-300ER flights. Wi-Fi can be purchased once on board; currently there is not a pre-purchase option for international Wi-Fi." But are all the AA long-distance international flights in that class? A couple of American Airlines trans-Pacific flights I looked at were for Boeing 777-200 planes, not 300 or 300ER. Wonder what they have?
Airwayswifi.com has an article,
Complete Guide to American Airlines WiFi 2022 | AA WiFi. It says they use 3 providers, Gogo, Panasonic and ViaSat, and Panasonic is the provider for international flights.
Panasonic In-flight WiFi For American Airlines Plans and Price
The plans for aircrafts using Panasonic as providers are,
| Duration | Price |
| 2 Hours | $12 |
| 4 Hours | $17 |
| Entire Flight | $19 |
Also did a little searching on Delta. It's my understanding which provider is used (e.g.: Gogo, ViaSat) may change over time, so I'm not sure how relevant
a 2017 article is, for example.
Airwayswifi.com has an article,
Complete Guide to Delta WiFi 2022 | DL WiFi. It says "If you’re traveling internationally, you can buy the $28, 24-hour global day pass. If you fly frequently you can choose the domestic monthly or domestic annual pass ($49.95 and $599.99 respectively)." Also "The Wi-Fi is provided by much-admired Wi-Fi provider Gogo. Almost all the flights of Delta Air Lines are now equipped with Wi-Fi facilities."
Further, is the availability of wifi Internet service something that varies strongly across airlines for major trans-oceanic international flights?
Richard.
. Surrounded by strangers. Likely with a shorter flight before this one, and another scheduled after it. Plus the stresses of travel
. I don't sleep well on planes.
