Although WiFi qualifies as a necessity of life for some, not all airlines equip their fleet with this technology. Some US airlines were actually forerunners in offering onboard Internet access. Dutch national carrier KLM offers WiFi on most of its aircraft in the long haul fleet. Recently, the Dutch carrier signed a deal with Viasat to also equip some short haul aircraft with WiFi.
KLM WiFi Service
When you have a long flight a bit of WiFi time is always welcome. Some airlines even offer free Internet access, others charge a (hefty) fee. Not to mention the variation in speeds you can expect in practice. Qatar Airways even offers ‘Super WiFi’, which replaced a slower version of the service. Although WiFi may be mainstream on the ground, it is definitely not (yet) in the air.
The KLM WiFi service offers free ‘Message service’. With this offer you can send free messages on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat whilst in the air. If you want to browse the internet you can purchase WiFi access for a certain time period or for the remainder of the flight.
The ‘Royal’ airline does not yet offer the option to view entertainment on your personal device. You can read more on KLM’s onboard entertainment offer here.
KLM Fleet
Dutch carrier KLM fleet a fleet of Boeing 737 and its subsidiary KLM Cityhopper operates Embraer 175 and 190 aircraft. It is not yet know which aircraft types will be equipped with Wifi. But the first modification should be done in 2021. This is goods news for those flying to Europe with KLM through Amsterdam and connecting to European destinations.
On long haul flights KLM offers WiFi on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and some Boeing 777s. Some Airbus A330 aircraft also offer the service. They are fitted with WiFi hardware by either Panasonic or GoGo. The rest of the long haul fleet is also expected to offer Internet by the end of 2021.
Free WiFi in Business Class?
Many traveller argue that short haul Business Class flights in general aren’t worth the money. The key reason is that the cabin is exactly the same as Economy. However, generally you get some more leg room and a free seat next to you. The biggest difference compared to Economy Class is of course the food and beverage offer. But the question is whether you want to spend your extra Dollars on the food. Would KLM (or any other carrier for that matter) offer free WiFi to short haul Business Class passengers then it would definitely make the extra spend more worthwhile.
