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02-Feb-2018 10:01 AM

Surfing above the clouds: Eurowings to offer Internet on many short and medium haul routes

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01-Feb-2018 Surfing above the clouds: Eurowings to offer Internet on many short and medium haul routes

  • Eurowings launches in-flight Internet on a large number of short and medium haul routes from 1 February
  • 30 aircraft already activated
  • Ten minutes free Internet for every passenger
  • Three different packages can be booked according to customers' requirements
Entertaining flights and happy passengers. In addition to the WINGS Entertainment in-flight entertainment system, which has been available free of charge on the Eurowings short and medium haul fleet since August 2016, the Airbus fleet will also get WINGS Connect from February. This will allow Eurowings passengers to go online during the flight, surf the Internet and use communication or streaming services. During the launch, every passenger will be given the chance to try out ten minutes of free Internet connection. There are currently 30 aircraft equipped with live in-flight Internet, which will be gradually rolled out to further aircraft.
Eurowings will offer high-speed access to the Internet on almost all its routes and will be the first low-cost airline to use satellite operator Inmarsat's state-of-the-art GX Aviation inflight broadband system for this. Last year, the airline launched with a free trial period on selected aircraft. As of February, there will be another 30 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family with Internet connection in the Eurowings fleet. In the coming weeks, it should be possible to surf above the clouds on more than 70 aircraft.
Passengers will then be able to choose between three attractive Internet packages: Connect S purely with messaging for EUR 3.90 per flight; Connect M (surfing, including films and series) for EUR 6.90 per flight, and Connect L (streaming, including films and series) for EUR 11.90 per flight.
Introduction of the WINGS Entertainment in-flight entertainment system has been a resounding success so far with many passengers already using their own mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, for entertainment on their Eurowings flight.
Eurowings offers in-flight Internet jointly with technology partner Inmarsat. It is based on the latest broadband satellite technology (Ka-band) and, with Inmarsat's Global Xpress (GX) network, provides seamless and reliable coverage on short and medium haul flights.
For this, Inmarsat works with the German telecommunications company, Deutsche Telekom. Lufthansa Technik is responsible for installing the systems and components and also for licensing the system. It will fit the entire Airbus A320 family of the Lufthansa Group's airlines with the latest Ka-band satellite technology in just four days per aircraft. By spring, nearly 185 aircraft are expected to have been equipped throughout the Group. Lufthansa Systems is providing the technical infrastructure for the Internet connection on board, such as the WLAN network.
Oliver Wagner, CCO of Eurowings says, "Eurowings has always been one of the industry's technology leaders. We are the first low-cost airline to offer our passengers a leading in-flight entertainment system paired with broadband Internet. So the collaboration with Inmarsat for Internet access is a logical conclusion. Technically speaking, the company has developed what is currently the most innovative and most powerful solution available. Our customers can now look forward to high-speed Internet on board our aircraft in the coming weeks."
The packages offered are based on an in-depth investigation of passengers' requirements. They follow the Eurowings philosophy of offering passengers exactly what they need. Buying the Internet pass should be quick and easy and using the service on the customer's own mobile device is designed to be fast and intuitive. On the entertainment portal, Eurowings has also provided information for the upcoming trip with a high user value. There are tips, for example, on restaurants, events, excursions and local transport at the destination airport.
Within the partnership with Inmarsat, Eurowings has gone for the most technically innovative solution on the market. It provides Internet at a constant speed during flight. This means the Internet is available without interruption and provides an adequate data speed even when flying at an altitude of 10,000 metres. Inmarsat is the leading satellite service provider and has been developing the technology continuously for 25 years.
This article was written on 01-Feb-2018.