Air France Leaps Ahead With Free In-Flight WiFi – Swiss Left Grounded
For some travelers, WiFi on board is a minor detail – even a welcome «digital detox» above the clouds. But for many others, it’s a decisive comfort factor. And on Tuesday, Air France set a new standard: free high-speed WiFi on all its flights.
Passengers on selected aircraft of Air France can now «enjoy a free, high-quality Internet connection that is stable, fast, and secure,» thanks to a partnership with Elon Musk’s satellite provider Starlink.
The service is already live on two new Embraer 190s, two Airbus A220s, and one Airbus A350 – spanning both short- and long-haul routes.
Fleetwide Rollout by 2026
Air France plans to retrofit 30 percent of its fleet by the end of 2025, and the entire fleet by the end of 2026. Access will be free across all travel classes via the Flying Blue frequent flyer program.
According to the airline, passengers will be able to stream TV shows and movies – or even join multiplayer video games – at cruising altitude.
Swiss Stuck in the Slow Lane
Lufthansa’s Swiss subsidiary paints a different picture. Swiss International Airlines told finews.asia that although its short- and medium-haul fleet is equipped with WiFi, coverage is «currently not yet comprehensive.»
Messaging is free, but streaming or laptop use comes at a cost.
Long-Haul Still Paywalled
Swiss points out that it has offered onboard Internet since 2016, and since 2023, it has been available across all long-haul flights. But free access is limited to chat apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Signal. For everything else – from browsing to streaming – passengers must pay extra.
The contrast leaves Swiss lagging far behind its French rival, which is pushing its free service as a premium differentiator.
Frankfurt Pulling the Strings
Only days ago, Lufthansa announced plans to further centralize Swiss business functions in Frankfurt.
What this means for the airline’s future quality remains uncertain. Still, the WiFi gap underscores a recurring criticism: Swiss often delivers budget-level service at premium-level prices.
