Etihad upgrades onboard wifi with free chat and unlimited data

Etihad Airways has recently improved its onboard wifi. The new Chat and Surf packages offer passengers better ways to stay connected while flying the airline’s wide-body fleet.

Complimentary Chat access for all Etihad passengers

All passengers flying on Etihad’s wide-body fleet now have complimentary access to the Chat messaging feature throughout their flight.

This feature can be accessed by signing in with an Etihad Guest membership or enrolling online before the flight.

The Chat feature includes access to popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and WeChat.

The cost for this service is free for Etihad Guest members, $2.99 for flights under 7 hours, and $4.99 for flights over 7 hours.

Surf the web with unlimited data

Etihad offers Surf wifi plans for passengers wishing to catch up on social media, work, or surf the web.

These plans provide unlimited data for the flight duration for a flat fee.

For flights under 7 hours, the Surf package is priced at $9.99, while for flights over 7 hours, the price is $19.99.

Etihad Guest members can also use miles to pay for a Surf plan. It costs 1200 miles for flights under 7 hours or 2400 for flights over 7 hours. This is a poor use of Etihad Guest miles. My advice would be to pay cash and conserve your miles if you need to purchase data.

Special wifi privileges for Etihad Guest members

Etihad Guest Platinum tier members and passengers travelling in Etihad’s First Class cabins enjoy complimentary access to the Surf service throughout their flight.

Meanwhile, Etihad Guest Gold members receive a 25% discount on the Surf package.

Roaming on the narrow-body fleet

In addition, to the wifi services on wide-body aircraft, Etihad’s narrow-body fleet continues to offer mobile connectivity service. This allows passengers to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and use their data roaming packages as they would on the ground.

Limited to one device at a time

The new Chat and Surf wifi packages are a step in the right direction. I found the connectivity and speed pretty decent on my recent Etihad flights. My one frustration is that you cannot connect to multiple devices simultaneously.

If I am working on my laptop, I still need to connect to messenger services on my phone. I assume many people are in the same boat. That’s not possible to do at the moment.

Instead, you will have to log off one device and then into another with the email you initially created an account with. It is a bit disruptive if you are working. I ended up purchasing a separate Surf package for the laptop.

However, as the discounted pricing is linked to your Etihad Guest account, if you have already used it to access the free Chat plan you will have to pay the full undiscounted price for your additional Surf package.

I really hope this is something Etihad fixes in time.

Conclusion

Etihad Airways has recently made significant improvements to its onboard wifi. The new wifi packages offer passengers free messaging throughout their flight and unlimited data on purchased plans.