Southwest Airways will replace its onboard web pricing Tuesday, transferring from $8 for an all-day cross to $8 per flight leg, in keeping with the airline.
An airline spokesperson advised USA TODAY in a press release that the transfer comes as a part of an improve to the provider’s web service, each with new {hardware} to help sooner speeds on present plane and a brand new supplier for brand spanking new planes.
Present Southwest plane have web by Anuvu, whereas Viasat-equipped planes will start coming into the fleet in March.
“With two distributors offering connectivity in our fleet, we’re introducing a brand new pricing mannequin for onboard web. Efficient Tuesday, February 21, onboard web shall be bought per-leg, from ‘takeoff to touchdown,’ reasonably than our present per-day, DayPass,” the assertion stated. “We at present have greater than 350 plane upgraded and count on the complete fleet to be accomplished by third quarter of this yr.”
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The spokesperson identified that many Southwest prospects take nonstop flights, and web costs are successfully solely going up for passengers who’ve connecting or stopover itineraries. The assertion additionally emphasised that the onboard leisure portal will nonetheless be accessible to prospects on their very own units free of charge.
Airways are more and more utilizing web connectivity as a aggressive differentiator.
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Delta Air Strains introduced earlier this winter that it is rolling out free Wi-Fi to SkyMiles members throughout its community. Many flights already provide the service and the airline makes a degree of notifying passengers earlier than and through their journey if it is accessible.
JetBlue has additionally lengthy provided free inflight web, and plenty of different airways proceed to enhance their paid-for web choices onboard.
Zach Wichter is a journey reporter for USA TODAY primarily based in New York. You possibly can attain him at [email protected]
