Need to stay connected above the clouds? Virgin Australia’s inflight Wi-Fi service is now available on most domestic and international Boeing 737 flights, with more to follow in the near future.
However, while the airline’s main rival, Qantas, offers free Wi-Fi to all passengers, Virgin’s inflight internet is only free for business class passengers, Velocity Platinum frequent flyers and members of the invitation-only Beyond program.
For everyone else, it is offered in two “high speed” packages:
- A 30-minute pass, which costs around $10, is obviously valid for 30 minutes.
- A flight pass, which costs about $20, allows you to stay connected for the duration of your flight.
Payments can be made using Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express credit and debit cards. Cash, EFTPOS, Maestro and prepaid travel cards are not accepted.
Virgin Australia WiFi is free for a specific group of passengers on any flight only.
How fast is Virgin Australia WiFi?
Executive traveler I tried Virgin Australia WiFi on a recent Virgin Australia flight between Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Connecting to the internet on board Virgin was as easy as connecting at any airport cafe or lounge – you can join Virgin Australia’s onboard WiFi directly at wifi.virginaustralia.com from any laptop, smartphone or tablet – and there’s no need to open the Virgin Australia app.
As a Platinum, Business or Beyond class passenger, simply enter your last name and seat number to enjoy free Wi-Fi.
It’s easy to connect to Virgin Australia WiFi.
Download speeds reached just under 5Mbps, although the speed test was unable to measure upload speeds.
In practical terms, the connection was stable, albeit relatively slow (especially compared to the 10-15Mbps of Qantas WiFi), but sufficient for emails, general web browsing and social media.
It’s worth noting, however, that you can only connect one device at a time.
How many Virgin Australia planes have WiFi?
At the time of writing, Virgin Australia is in the process of retrofitting its Boeing 737-800/MAX fleet with WiFi, using Intelsat’s 2Ku technology, the same technology found on Japan Airlines.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said: “The majority of Virgin Australia aircraft are Wi-Fi enabled and we are in the midst of a fleet-wide Wi-Fi enablement program. All of our new MAX aircraft, which are on order and being delivered, have onboard connectivity.”
The release does not include Fokker 100, Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-700 aircraft.
