JAL brings more Wi-Fi to more passengers for free

Japan Airlines continues to improve its inflight Wi-Fi offering, with more planes now offering fast and free connectivity to travelers. The updated service offerings apply for both international and domestic markets.

Streaming for Free

Wi-Fi on domestic flights has been free for web browsing since 2017 for JAL passengers. Now the carrier is boosting capacity, offering streaming level services on board. This transition started with the launch of Wi-Fi on the J-AIR E190 fleet over the summer.

Those planes served as the test bed for the streaming services. As of 1 October the rest of the domestic mainline fleet also switched to the higher performance offering on board. The company’s JTA subfleet will follow at the end of the year.

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Freemium (and More Free) on International Trips

JAL will also expand the free offering for travelers on international flights. Previously only offered to first class passengers, the service will now be free for business class travelers as well. In the back half of the plane passengers will receive one hour of complimentary access, after which they will have the option to purchase access for the remainder of the flight.

The expansion of more free access on international routes was hinted at last summer, when Intelsat’s Dave Bijur suggested that, while the planes are focused on domestic operations, “we’re going to start to see some more overwater operations, to Korea and other regional international markets,” in the future. Those regional international flights will also from a boost in available Ku-band capacity, thanks to JSAT-1C’s increased capacity in the region.

This timed free access is also how the company initially approached the domestic market when it launched inflight internet service a decade ago. After a couple years it migrated to the free-to-everyone offering flying today. Whether the same evolution occurs with the international routes remains to be seen, but a precedent exists, and more full service airlines seem to be trending that direction.

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Some Limits in the Fine Print

Like many airlines, JAL’s fleet flies with a mix of inflight internet offerings on board. For now the expanded offerings appear limited to the planes serviced by Intelsat. JAL is in the process of upgrading its 737NG and 767 aircraft to the Intelsat 2Ku solution, which seems to align with the timing for converting those planes to deliver the free streaming on board. The carrier’s 737 MAX deliveries from 2026 are expected to carry the Gilat (f/k/a Stellar Blu) Sidewinder terminal on board, allowing for LEO or GEO coverage.

The carrier’s domestic 787-8 and A350 planes with IFE screens, flying with IFC from Panasonic Avionics, are not included in the updated offering. JAL notes that those planes will see “restrictions on the sites that can be accessed due to system limitations.”