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Faster Wi-Fi is in the cards for passengers on Cathay and Emirates airlines

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Your time in the skies may not fly by at 500 miles per hour (even if that’s how fast your airplane is moving), especially with Wi-Fi speeds that feel more like they’re crawling on the ground. But now that two airlines have made commitments to bringing faster connectivity speeds to their flights, you may finally feel as though your flight is as efficient as it really is. Cathay Pacific Group has announced its decision to bring GoGo’s 2Ku satellite-based broadband technology onboard beginning mid-next year, while Emirates is collaborating with Thales to bring 50Mbps Wi-Fi to its Boeing 777X fleet by 2020.

So while you’ll still have to wait awhile to enjoy these upgraded speeds, perhaps by the next decade’s holiday season, you’ll have something to keep you occupied on your way home.

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Cathay’s new partner, GoGo, is said to be the “industry’s leading inflight connectivity solution,” and claims to deliver “an internet experience comparable to what passengers have on the ground.” Airlines across North and South America, as well as Europe and now Asia, make use of GoGo’s services, and Cathay is the latest to join the bunch.

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Though GoGo hasn’t made clear how fast its new offerings will be, folks flying Emirates will soon be able to enjoy 50Mbps speeds on Emirates flights. “The new agreement is part of Emirates and Thales’ plans to develop state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) on the airline’s new Boeing 777X fleet,” the company noted in a press release. The airline claims that 800,000 passengers per month currently connect to in-flight Wi-Fi, and this number is expected to increase with the provision of faster services.

Faster or more substantial connectivity options is nothing novel for airlines to be offering in our hyper-connected world. For example, JetBlue recently began providing free Wi-Fi to all customers, while Delta gave passengers the option of using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage for free on any Wi-Fi-equipped flight.

So if you need to keep folks on the ground abreast of what’s happening to you in the skies, or want to stay in the know about earthly happenings, these new internet options just may be what you’ve been waiting for.

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Lulu Chang
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