Starting May 15 Air Canada will offer free Wi-Fi and SIM cards on boards of their planes. This is possible due to a multi-year partnership with the Canadian wireless network operator Bell. The company will sponsor both new services.
Passengers can use Free Wi-Fi internet on board if they are a member of Air Canada’s loyalty program Aeroplane. Also, this benefit will be available to strategic partner airline loyalty members, including customers of United MileagePlus, Lufthansa Group Miles & More and Emirates Skywards when their account numbers are associated with an Air Canada booking.
According to Air Canada, free Wi-Fi allows only messaging on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft across Air Canada’s fleet, including Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights. The service supports Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger, Rakuten’s Viber, and Messages by Google.
It is not possible to send or receive photos, and videos, or to view websites. Passengers can buy one of 3 Wi-Fi plans to activate these services. It costs $6.50 CAD for a 1-hour pass, $21.00 CAD for a 1-way pass and $65.95 for a monthly plan.
As part of the cooperation, Air Canada will offer complimentary Bell mobile SIM cards on select international flights to Canada. Passengers can activate SIM cards in flight. This will allow them to walk off the plane and be connected, Air Canada noted in the official statement.
