Lufthansa will equip more than 150 planes dedicated to short and medium flights with internet!
Chatting with loved ones at an altitude of 10.000 meters, shopping online while traveling or using the company's VPN above the clouds without limits, all this will be possible on board Lufthansa planes. In the future, all passengers traveling on European routes will have the secure option of using Wi-Fi on board.
The Lufthansa Group will therefore continue to equip its short- and medium-haul aircraft with broadband internet for three of its airlines this year. The plan is to fully equip all Airbus A220/320 family aircraft (A220, A319, A320ceo, A320neo, A321ceo, A321neo) operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, totaling more than 150 aircraft.
High speed internet on SWISS planes
Installation of the system will begin on all airlines from the fourth quarter of 2024 and will be completed after about two years. After Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, SWISS will thus be the next airline in the Lufthansa group to introduce high-speed in-flight internet for its passengers on short- and medium-haul aircraft. Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings have been offering their passengers broadband internet on many short- and medium-haul flights since 2017.
Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines now offer their guests unlimited free text messages on aircraft already equipped with the Internet. Travelers can send and receive as many messages as they want for free on their smartphone or tablet during the flight.
The prerequisite for using this service is to log in to FlyNet with a Miles & More card number or an email address registered with the Lufthansa Group Travel ID. For all other internet packages, such as access to Premium, now available from just six euros, the price has been reduced by almost 50% at the beginning of the year.
Free applications in FlyNet
The use of Lufthansa Group Airlines apps and many services in the FlyNet portal of Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, in the Wings Connect portal of Eurowings and in the future also in the SWISS Connect portal are generally free of charge in all Airbus A220/A320 equipped aircraft with broadband internet.
Depending on the airline, guests can follow their flight live on the moving map, for example, receive information about connecting flights, use the chat assistant for service inquiries, download e-logs, browse the Worldshop or view the menu on board.
The Lufthansa Group has ordered the VIASAT technology and service to equip more than 150 additional aircraft. The Lufthansa Group has been working with the technology company Inmarsat, which was acquired by Viasat, since 2015. Until now, Internet access on more than 200 aircraft of the Lufthansa Group's A320 family was based exclusively on a satellite connection (Ka band).
On the newly equipped aircraft, the Internet connection is provided using a hybrid technology called EAN (European Aviation Network). An S-band satellite provides Europe-wide coverage, while additional terrestrial components from Deutsche Telekom, terrestrial radio towers with 4G LTE technology, provide additional capacity.