British Airways is joining the list of airlines offering free inflight messaging to its loyalty program members…
British Airways Executive Club members receive free inflight messaging
British Airways has just announced a variety of customer initiatives. Among other developments, British Airways is introducing free inflight messaging:
- This new service will roll out as of April 3, 2024; rolling this out on all aircraft may take up to two weeks
- This will be available worldwide throughout British Airways’ fleet, so it will be available on short haul and long haul flights
- This will be open to all British Airways Executive Club members, so there’s no need to have elite status, but you do need to have a membership (and it’s free to sign-up, and instant); ideally British Airways would also offer this service to members of partner frequent flyer programs, but there’s nothing in the announcement about that being possible
- This will allow unlimited text-based messages on a single decide using popular messaging apps, including Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger, etc.
- With this being rolled out, cabin crew will also have a new live customer care feature, whereby they can connect with colleagues on the ground to solve any unexpected issues before a flight lands at a destination
This is a fantastic development, and it’s great to see several global airlines adding free inflight messaging recently. For example, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, and Turkish Airlines, among other airlines, all made similar announcements in 2023.
This is a smart loyalty program play
It goes without saying that free inflight messaging is a great feature that helps passengers stay entertained. That’s especially true on short haul flights, where the entertainment options are otherwise limited. Well, I guess I should say that it’s a great feature as long as people silence their phones, which seems to be a challenge in some situations. 😉
But ultimately that’s not the primary motivation that airlines have for introducing this. Most airlines introduce free messaging (or Wi-Fi) in order to increase sign-ups for their loyalty program. Airlines are much more easily able to market to those who belong to their loyalty programs.
It’s not just about marketing flights, but it’s also about marketing other revenue opportunities, from credit card sign-ups, to booking hotels and rental cars through a portal, etc. Free inflight messaging offers a significant incentive for a casual traveler to finally sign-up for a loyalty program, so I imagine for British Airways this is viewed as an investment in loyalty marketing, rather than an investment in passenger experience.
Bottom line
As of April 3, 2024, British Airways will introduce free inflight messaging. This will allow passengers to use services like iMessage and WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family. The only catch is that you’ll need to be a member of the Executive Club program to take advantage of this.
What do you make of British Airways introducing free inflight messaging?
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