EVA Air is the latest airline to adopt the free inflight Wi-Fi model for members of its loyalty program flying internationally, in addition to providing the amenity to business class passengers. To facilitate the offer, it will use the geostationary (GEO) satellite-supported inflight connectivity system already installed on each of its widebody aircraft.
Panasonic Avionics’ Ku-band GEO satellite-based IFC solution is fitted to the Taiwanese carrier’s Boeing 787s, 777-300ERs, and Airbus A330-300 twinjets. And in recent years Panasonic has substantially bolstered its GEO satellite capacity purchases and installed a higher-throughput modem on customer aircraft to ensure a better experience and support free Wi-Fi, among other models.
From 1 July to 30 September, as part of a special limited time promotion, EVA Air passengers across all travel classes — both Infinity MileageLands members and non-members alike — will be able to enjoy complimentary full-flight “unlimited” web browsing, the airline says. The service does not support streaming video, voice calls, VPN connections, or video conferencing.
After this promotional period, from 1 October, business class passengers and Infinity MileageLands members will continue to enjoy free inflight Wi-Fi with access to either unlimited web browsing or, in the case of lower-tiered Silver or Green Card economy class passengers, unlimited text messaging.
Messaging apps such as Line and WhatsApp are supported, but photo and video transmissions are excluded from this offer. The program will apply to all EVA Air and UNI Air international flights.
Following the promotion, business class passengers will receive free Wi-Fi irrespective of whether or not they are members of EVA Air’s loyalty program. Premium Economy class passengers may also avail of free unlimited browsing if they are members of the loyalty program, whilst Diamond/Gold Card members in economy can enjoy free browsing. Unlimited texting is available to Silver and Green Card members flying in economy.
When booking a flight with EVA Air, Infinity MileageLands members must input their membership number for the system to determine their eligible inflight Wi-Fi service, EVA Air instructs.
“Whether it’s replying to work emails, chatting with friends and family, monitoring the stock market, or sharing travel photos on social media, staying connected in the sky has never been easier,” the carrier says in a statement.
A longtime customer of Panasonic’s inflight entertainment and connectivity solutions, EVA Air is also in the process of rolling out Panasonic’s wireless IFE solution on its Airbus A321s.
“Passengers can enjoy a wide selection of high-quality entertainment services by connecting their mobile devices or tablets to the onboard network and using personal earphones. The upgraded system is already being rolled out and is expected to be fully available across the fleet by early 2026,” EVA Air says.
Featured image of EVA Air Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, photographed over South Carolina on 2 October 2019 by Chad Slattery from Wolfe Air Learjet 25B, courtesy of EVA Air
