“The complimentary 20-minute Wi-Fi access will enable passengers across all cabins to stay connected and is also ideal for those who wish to purchase extended Wi-Fi plans using Indian credit/debit cards,” Vistara said, adding that the service allows customers to receive one-time passwords via email, facilitating the purchase of extended in-flight Wi-Fi services during the active session.
Deepak Rajawat, chief commercial officer, Vistara said
the airline was
“delighted to lead the way and become the first Indian airline to offer complimentary Wi-Fi on international flights across all cabins.” “We are confident that customers will appreciate this value addition that aims to make their Vistara journey more convenient, productive, and seamless,” Rajawat added.
Under the internet connectivity plan on offer on Vistara international flights, free chat facility will be given complimentary to all Club Vistara members of any tier and any cabin throughout the flight. For others, Rs 372.74 plus GST will be charged for chatting on messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Facebook Messengers etc with unlimited data. To surf the internet onboard these flights, the airline has set a price of Rs 1577.54 plus GST, which would give embedded audio and video streaming such as for content on social media, web etc. For Rs 2707.04 plus GST the customer gets unlimited data which allows all streaming protocols, it said.
“Vistara’s international flights operating on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo offer advanced wireless connectivity powered by Panasonic Avionics, enabling seamless internet access on Wi-Fi-enabled devices at 35,000 feet. Passengers can stay connected and access emails, information, and social media with ease,” it said.
Vistara’s parent, Singapore Airlines too offers free wifi to members of `KrisFlyer’, its loyalty program.
Airlines have been offering wifi connectivity on board flights for over a decade now. While most airlines charge for the service, others such as US budget carrier JetBlue, for instance, have been offering it free since 2013, with unlimited data and high-speed connectivity throughout the flight. A number of other international carriers such as Philippines Airlines, Norwegian Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air New Zealand too offer free wifi, but some put a limit on data, typically offering more data to business and first class passengers. A number of other carriers have linked this service to their loyalty program. Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Delta Airlines (and as mentioned above Singapore Airlines) offer the service free for its frequent flyer members. Some of these airlines have certain conditions for wifi usage for economy class passengers, with most of them offering it free only to their business and first class passengers.
The Vistara wifi plan:
| Plans | Complimentary/Paid | Details – Cabin/Class |
| 20 Mins | Complimentary | All Cabins.
Customers using Indian credit and debit cards can purchase extended plans onboard during the 20 mins active session as they will be able to receive an OTP via email. |
| 50 MB | Complimentary | Business Class & Platinum Club Vistara Members |
| Free Chat | Complimentary | To all Club Vistara members of any tier and any cabin class. This package is for throughout the flight. |
| Chat | Paid – Rs.372.74 + GST | Only messaging Apps (i.e., WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, etc.) with unlimited data (Complimentary for Club Vistara members) |
| Surf | Paid – Rs.1577.54 + GST | For embedded audio and video streaming (i.e., content on social media and web, etc.) with unlimited data |
| Stream | Paid – Rs.2707.04 + GST | Unlimited data which allows all streaming protocols. |