You won’t ever need to miss receiving or sending a message again just because you’re on a flight. Alaska Airlines – who recently acquired Virgin America – is the latest airline to offer WiFi at no extra cost. Travellers are able to send messages using iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for free on the carrier’s Gogo-equipped aircraft.
The service, called Free Chat, has launched in beta, with full functionality and is being rolled out on January 24. To use it, passengers will simply need to sign in to their Gogo WiFi accounts.
Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said:
We know that staying in touch while on the go is essential to our guests, many of whom don’t need full Internet access. Free Chat is a great way to keep that connection alive without breaking the bank. And yes, it’s fully emoji-compatible.
Free WiFi may well be a growing trend to entice passengers. Budget airlines such as Norwegian and New York City-based airline JetBlue, are two of the few who offer free WiFi in all classes of travel, although Norwegian’s free service is limited to flights within Europe and between the US and Caribbean.