We’ve seen a trend lately whereby more airlines have made free Wi-Fi available for more passengers. Japanese oneworld carrier Japan Airlines (JAL) is the latest airline to introduce free inflight connectivity, and this comes just shortly after Star Alliance rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) rolled out a similar initiative.
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JAL adds unlimited free Wi-Fi in business class
As of October 1, 2024, Japan Airlines will begin offering free Wi-Fi for business class passengers on international flights. This is something that has been available to first class passengers for quite some time, so it’s nice to see this extended to business class as well.
Since Japan Airlines’ Wi-Fi service doesn’t have data caps, this new perk offers unlimited free Wi-Fi, without restrictions on how much data you can use. Historically, Wi-Fi on long haul Japan Airlines flights has cost around $20, so those are some nice savings.
The only thing to keep in mind is that Japan Airlines doesn’t exactly have the fastest Wi-Fi provider, as the airline primarily offers Panasonic Wi-Fi. So in some ways, Wi-Fi onboard planes is a zero-sum game, since there’s only so much total bandwidth. This will probably mildly slow down inflight connectivity.
JAL adds one hour of free Wi-Fi in premium economy & economy
It’s not just business class passengers who are benefiting from the latest changes, but also premium economy and economy passengers. As of October 1, 2024, premium economy and economy passengers on international Japan Airlines flights will receive one hour of free Wi-Fi, with no data caps during that period.
It’s interesting to see Japan Airlines just outright offer an hour of free Wi-Fi to these passengers, while many other airlines have instead offered free messaging throughout the flight. I imagine people will have different takes as to which of those is more valuable.
Regardless of the cabin you’re traveling in, this isn’t tied to being a member of Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank loyalty program, so all passengers are eligible for this.
Bottom line
Japan Airlines is making inflight connectivity free for more passengers. As of October 1, 2024, JAL is offering unlimited free Wi-Fi to business class passengers on international flights. On top of that, premium economy and economy passengers on international flights receive one hour of free Wi-Fi.
It’s really awesome to see the trend toward more airlines offering inflight connectivity at no cost, as this development comes just shortly after All Nippon Airways made a similar announcement.
What do you make of Japan Airlines’ inflight connectivity changes?
I used the free JAL Firstclass connection several times with good results in the past year.
Last Month I paid the 19.99 for my JL business class Seattle/Narita, connection was horrible.
I ended up disputing the charge with my credit card company and getting a refund.
Ben, given the number of recent wifi provider announcements plus the (theoretical) improvement in Panasonic's speeds, a blog post highlighting the airlines with the current fastest trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific wifi speeds would be very helpful.
Flying in Business next Spring on JAL (also using AS points)...I guess I'll see how slow their connect is....
I just traveled with my wife to HND on JAL business using Alaska points. Best business class experience ever!
Thank you Ben, for giving me the knowledge that made it possible.
Not sure how i feel about this, have had a seatmate (not JAL, but another airline with free wifi in business) touch themselves whilst watching either adult content or a video call.
Told the flight attendant and she told them to stop, but then I got death stares the rest of the flight.
Flying JAL from HND to LHR on 16th November and hoping they announce the A350 service that is promised for the autumn in time for my flight!
Sounds like an upsell to inflight internet for Economy and premium economy passengers
Thanks for the timely information Ben! My spouse and I are taking a JAL NRT to SEA flight later this month (in Premium Economy), and having a free hour of Wi-Fi is an added bonus (in addition to the Sakura lounge visit at Narita).