Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline in Europe to offer Wi-Fi across its entire fleet.
It means that its customers can remain connected across flights to and from the US, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
From today millions of customers travelling with Virgin Atlantic will be able to email, browse and socialise at 35,000ft, with prices starting from £2.99.
Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline in Europe to offer Wi-Fi across its entire fleet
The airline claims that its Wi-Fi roll-out is ‘at least a year ahead of other European long-haul carriers’.
It said in a statement: ‘To celebrate being the first European airline to boast a fully Wi-Fi connected fleet, Virgin Atlantic will be kicking off a series of fun events from the sky, connecting together with #LiveFromVirgin. One of the first #LiveFromVirgin events will be a comedy set in the sky.’
The airline’s Wi-Fi system uses Panasonic and Gogo technology and is available across its fleet of 39 aircraft, with connectivity available above 10,000ft.
This means that customers will be able to connect shortly after take-off and remain online until shortly before landing.
Millions of customers travelling with Virgin Atlantic will be able to email, browse and socialise at 35,000ft, with prices starting from £2.99
Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President, Customer at Virgin Atlantic, said: ‘From today customers flying around the world with Virgin Atlantic can work and play throughout their flight as we become the first airline in Europe to offer a fully Wi-Fi enabled fleet.
‘Innovation has always been in our blood and we’ve worked closely with Wi-Fi providers to develop the fastest, most reliable connection across the Atlantic, and are the first carrier to offer Wi-Fi between the UK and the Caribbean, China and Africa.
‘And of course we wouldn’t be Virgin Atlantic if we weren’t going to signify this moment with something special, so we’ve planned a summer of spectacular #LiveFromVirgin events for our customers. Keep an eye out on our social channels for your chance to get involved.’
Whilst Wi-Fi has been commonplace on domestic carriers there’s been a challenge for the industry to find reliable connections over vast expanses of ocean – such as the Atlantic.
Unlike flying over Europe or the US the signal cannot come from the ground and instead has to be transmitted to aircraft from satellites.
The airline is using a combination of two Wi-Fi providers across the network.
Customers travelling on the 787 will use Wi-Fi from Panasonic, while the A330s, 747s and A340-600s are powered by Gogo technology.