Air Canada is the latest airline to introduce free inflight messaging for passengers, which is an exciting development.
In this post:
Aeroplan members receive free inflight messaging
Air Canada and Canadian telecommunications company Bell are teaming up to offer free inflight messaging for passengers on Air Canada, as part of a multi-year partnership. Here’s what passengers can expect:
- This new service will be available as of May 15, 2023
- This will be available worldwide throughout Air Canada’s fleet, including Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights
- This will be available to all Air Canada Aeroplan members, as well as members of loyalty programs of strategic partner airlines, including United MileagePlus, Lufthansa Miles & More, and Emirates Skywards, when their accounts are linked to the booking
- This will allow unlimited text-based messages through popular messaging apps, including Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger, Rakuten’s Viber, and Messages by Google
This is a fantastic new development, and it’s great to see several global airlines adding free inflight messaging recently. For example, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines have made a similar announcement in the past few weeks.
Since the free messaging is tied to being a loyalty program member, I particularly appreciate how Air Canada is also including members of key partner programs. That’s a thoughtful feature, since it’s not something we’ve seen with other airlines that have added free inflight messaging.
Air Canada & Bell offering free mobile SIM cards
There’s another cool aspect to the partnership between Air Canada and Bell, though as of now details are limited. Visitors to Canada will have an easy and immediate way to stay connected as they arrive in Canada. That’s because complimentary mobile SIM cards will be offered on select inbound international flights. This means that people can be connected as soon as they walk off the plane.
Admittedly nowadays there are all kinds of great international data plans, so this won’t have the widespread appeal that it may have had 10+ years ago. Still, this is a pretty cool feature.
Bottom line
Air Canada is the latest airline to introduce free inflight messaging. Specifically, Aeroplan members and members of select partner loyalty programs will receive unlimited free inflight messaging on Air Canada flights worldwide. This is sponsored by Bell, and as part of this partnership, free SIM cards will also be available on select inbound international flights to Canada.
What do you make of Air Canada introducing free inflight messaging?
It seems rather nasty to limit it to certain partners. So if you are a frequent flyer with ANA or Singapore or Eva, Air Canada isn't interested in your business?
Honestly makes me less likely to fly them, as will be annoying when everybody around me is getting free messaging and I am excluded.
Why not simply allow free messaging for all passengers? And if (say) WhatsApp is allowed it will be only a matter of time before people start using the video and phone call features. And yes, Bell Canada is part of an oligopoly that charges Canadians amongst the highest fees on the planet for telephone and media services.
Hey Ac, fix your Aeroplan I.T dept first
This story does little to explain how it will actually work for people in Canada that already have a cellular plan with someone other than 'the chosen one'.
Will you have to remove your SIM card and install the 'special one' to use it during flight for free texting? The odds of losing your SIM card go through the roof if you change out your SIM card on an aircraft. Then there's the chance...
This story does little to explain how it will actually work for people in Canada that already have a cellular plan with someone other than 'the chosen one'.
Will you have to remove your SIM card and install the 'special one' to use it during flight for free texting? The odds of losing your SIM card go through the roof if you change out your SIM card on an aircraft. Then there's the chance static discharge damage occurring during flight because we all know how dry the air can get during flight in the cabin.
Why not have free Wi-Fi onboard instead for those passengers instead and then then can use their own phone with their own plan to make text and calls over Wi-Fi?
This whole article leaves one with more questions and doubt about the actual programme than it answers.
Hopefully, a detailed update on this 'free service' will happen soon.
Do ppl from outside of Canada know how $$$ mobile plans are in Canada. A rip off to be nice
I always mistake the "e" in "messaging" for an "a" when I click into these posts.
(Out of curiosity, not anything else...)
We all can dream