Earlier this year, Singapore Airlines introduced unlimited free Wi-Fi for premium travelers. The airline has now taken this to the next level, and has rolled out unlimited free Wi-Fi for all KrisFlyer members. The airline describes this as “the most comprehensive free unlimited Wi-Fi access in the airline industry” (Singapore is outdoing Delta here, though isn’t quite to the level of JetBlue or La Compagnie… then again, those aren’t major global airlines).
In this post:
Singapore Airlines offering unlimited free Wi-Fi
Singapore Airlines has made a positive change to its free inflight Wi-Fi offering.
For flights as of July 1, 2023, the airline is offering free Wi-Fi to the following passengers:
- Suites and first class passengers (unlimited)
- Business class passengers (unlimited)
- KrisFlyer members traveling in premium economy and economy (unlimited)
As a point of comparison, for flights through June 30, 2023, the airline offered free Wi-Fi to the following passengers:
- Suites and first class passengers (unlimited)
- Business class passengers (unlimited)
- PPS Club members traveling in premium economy or economy (unlimited)
- KrisFlyer members traveling in premium economy (three hours)
- KrisFlyer members traveling in economy (two hours)
As you can see, this means that the airline has now expanded unlimited free Wi-Fi to all passengers (and those traveling in premium economy and economy need to be KrisFlyer members). To be clear, this isn’t just free messaging, but rather unlimited use of Wi-Fi, with no data limits.
This feature is available throughout Singapore Airlines’ fleet, including on all A350s, A380s, 777s, 787s, and 737 MAXs. The only planes not to offer this are the 737-800s, as those planes don’t feature Wi-Fi.
For context, prior to 2022, Singapore Airlines offered unlimited free Wi-Fi in Suites and first class, while it offered business class and PPS Club members 100MB of free data. Suffice it to say that going from 100MB of data to unlimited data makes a big difference for many passengers. Furthermore, previously the airline had restrictions on the types of aircraft where free Wi-Fi was offered, while that’s no longer the case.
I think the logical major concern here is what impact this development has on Wi-Fi speeds. After all, bandwidth inflight continues to remain limited, and the more people that use it, the lower the speeds. I don’t have that many data points, but I can say that Wi-Fi speeds on my recent Singapore Airlines Boeing 787 flight were excellent.
Here’s how Yeoh Phee Teik, Singapore Airlines’ SVP of Customer Experience, describes this development:
“In today’s increasingly hyper-connected world, high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is one of the most important requirements for our customers. Giving them access to free unlimited Wi-Fi is yet another milestone in SIA’s continuous effort to offer an exceptional end-to-end travel experience. With this enhanced offering, our customers will be empowered to stay connected, entertained, and productive, even at 36,000 feet in the sky.”
Singapore Airlines has come a long way with Wi-Fi
As is the case with so many airlines, Singapore Airlines has made huge progress when it comes to its inflight Wi-Fi offering. The airline used to have OnAir Wi-Fi, which was both ridiculously slow, and outrageously expensive (in 2014 there was a story about how someone racked up $1,200 in Wi-Fi charges on a flight).
Not only has Singapore Airlines upgraded its systems to improve bandwidth and speeds (most planes now have Panasonic Wi-Fi), but the airline has also greatly improved Wi-Fi pricing and complimentary offerings. Prior to this change, most Wi-Fi packages allowed unlimited data, with a full flight pass not costing more than $15.99.
It’s fantastic to see that Wi-Fi is now available for free for all passengers with no data caps. That’s a real competitive advantage, as Singapore Airlines is one of the first airlines in the world to offer free Wi-Fi on such a widespread basis. Having this be a permanent feature is awesome, and makes Singapore Airlines a market leader in that regard.
Bottom line
Singapore Airlines has even further improved the value proposition of its Wi-Fi offering. As of July 2023, Singapore Airlines is offering unlimited free Wi-Fi to all passengers who are KrisFlyer members on all routes. This is a huge improvement, and puts Singapore Airlines in a league of its own among global airlines.
It’s exciting to see airlines continuing to move toward offering free Wi-Fi, so kudos to Singapore Airlines on this move.
What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ complimentary Wi-Fi offering?
I was just on an SQ flight in economy 2 days ago. I registered my Krisflyer number on in the Singapore airline app with my booking details. I did this at Changi. However I was not able to get the free internet. This happened to my friend as well who flew SQ as well the same day with me.
Lmao how are they supposed to do this when they typically have slow as hell wifi most of the time, or sometimes, it doesn't work at all! It can't be a coincidence that out of 9 flights I had in business and first class, 6 of those are slower than a third world country's while 2 of them did not work at all. So much for the so-called number 1 airline in the world.
"As you can see, this means that the airline has now expanded unlimited free Wi-Fi to all passengers (and those traveling in premium economy and economy need to be KrisFlyer members)"
So, no, not to ALL passengers.
Well, everyone can become KrisFlyer member for free. So everyone *can* get free Wifi.
The big question is whether you can have a different *A airline frequent flyer number in the booking (for lounge access and other priority services and of course to earn miles) and still get that Wifi access. If not, that's a big downside.
That still doesn’t mean all people have access to the free wifi. Free access to all implies there are no stipulations to having that free access.
You need to have your KrisFlyer on your booking. I ran into this on my recent SQ flight. I booked my flight using Aeroplan as my frequent flyer on my booking. When you try to access wifi on the plane it asks for your seat number and last name. It told me my booking was ineligible.
I have a KrisFlyer account I had signed up for before the flight but it gave me no option to leverage it for free wifi.
I flew JFK-SIN 2 weeks ago in businessclass. The wifi wasn't working the entire flight!! They kept resetting it but didn't work in the end. No apology email nor any form of compensation. I mentioned this in the survey after the flight but like my previous experience on any feedbackto their service, SQ never bothered to acknowledge or reply! On the other hand, I was able to sleep a good 8 and 3 hrs between the two meals otherwise.
@Ben, you forgot to mention the most important aspect of this, which is you must have your Krisflyer account attached to the reservation in order to use it. By doing so, you will not be able to earn miles with other programs such as AS. If you are trying to earn miles with other programs, there will be no free wifi (minor problem, but still important to mention)
Singapore Airlines: The Perfect Airline.
Good afternoon Ben. When do you think AA will have unlimited Wi-Fi on their domestic routes? 20 minutes for flights of 4 hours or more is useless.
I think it was American, but when they did the "free Wifi" for 30 minutes, all I did to get around the time limit was reset my mac address by turning on the "private Wi-Fi address" option in the iOS settings.
Considering that Delta already offers free Wifi across all of its N. America fleet and you can get the old free T Mobile Wifi on more of DL's international fleet than SQ has flights from the US, SQ's move falls under "imitation is the greatest form of flattery"
Since DL will also offer free Wifi in a year across its entire global fleet, including more than 16 new A350-900s which are capable of crossing...
Considering that Delta already offers free Wifi across all of its N. America fleet and you can get the old free T Mobile Wifi on more of DL's international fleet than SQ has flights from the US, SQ's move falls under "imitation is the greatest form of flattery"
Since DL will also offer free Wifi in a year across its entire global fleet, including more than 16 new A350-900s which are capable of crossing the entire Pacific - as SQ does - the real risk is that SQ sees DL as returning to SIN but with a nonstop from the US.
UA will be hurt the most not just by SQ - which competes directly w/ UA - but more importantly w/ DL which is far larger.
Having used DL's free Wifi not just on my cell phone but also on my laptop, free Wifi is a huge game changer in terms of giving passengers the best amenities.
DL and SQ serve different enough markets that the gain is for different populations -until the two directly compete to SIN again.
DL's much larger network will give it a significant advantage to the largest carriers including UA which won't be able to compete with anyone on Wifi for years.
The real puzzle is why AA is so reluctant to turn on something similar to its customers.
How is it possible for this person to turn every single news item into something about Delta? SQ offering free wifi because it sees Delta as a competitor?! The mind boggles.
Tim (every OMAAT post is really about Delta) Dunn strikes again!
Delta direct flight to SIN is confirmed??
16 A350s compared to 57 from SQ….yawn……Wi-Fi only on domestic routes, so yesteryear.
some people fail to recognize in their blind hatred for anything that is said about that Delta that it was Ben that mentioned Delta, which in fact, does operate more aircraft with free Wifi for loyalty plan members than any airline in the world.
and it is very likely, Jan, that DL will expand its network in Asia w/ its new A350s.
And some people aren't smart enough to realize that Delta already is operating...
some people fail to recognize in their blind hatred for anything that is said about that Delta that it was Ben that mentioned Delta, which in fact, does operate more aircraft with free Wifi for loyalty plan members than any airline in the world.
and it is very likely, Jan, that DL will expand its network in Asia w/ its new A350s.
And some people aren't smart enough to realize that Delta already is operating 28 A350s right now.
Whether DL or LH or SQ or QR become the largest A350 operator is immaterial. All will have A350 fleets that easily exceed 50 units and likely much more by the time Delta's next Airbus order is announced which is expected at the Paris Air Show.
Blind hatred about Delta? Your crazy is showing. I have no strong opinion about Delta.
What I find tiresome are your predictable sycophantic posts about Delta here at OMAAT.
So was this comment just based on ignorance since it was actually Ben that included Delta in the article?
"Tim (every OMAAT post is really about Delta) Dunn strikes again!"
None of which changes the fact that Delta's free-for-FFP member domestic WiFi equipped fleet is larger than any other airline's and that fleet covers an area covering most of SQ's home continent of Asia but serving far more customers.
SQ and DL right now have...
So was this comment just based on ignorance since it was actually Ben that included Delta in the article?
"Tim (every OMAAT post is really about Delta) Dunn strikes again!"
None of which changes the fact that Delta's free-for-FFP member domestic WiFi equipped fleet is larger than any other airline's and that fleet covers an area covering most of SQ's home continent of Asia but serving far more customers.
SQ and DL right now have virtually no overlap on their route networks so the move by SQ is simply flattery at what DL has already done and the two airlines' moves large serve different groups of passengers with DL still set to expand to its longhaul widebody fleet next year.
JBLU started the trend, DL bested them and everyone else will be following and staying behind DL until and only when AA decides to copy DL. UA simply has too many regional aircraft and too few narrowbodies that are or will be Wifi equipped compared to AA and DL and that won't change until years from now.
@Tim Dunn so nothing confirmed, only speculation? Then I doubt that since DL's move has been to shrink and shrink and shrink their Asian presence and relegate everything else to KE.
perhaps you missed that
1. Delta moved its entire Tokyo operation to Haneda and Delta did not have the option to move any of its intra-Asia routes to HND. It simply was not a viable option to keep a hub at NRT and also gain access to HND. DL has the most foreign carrier access to HND and will get its request to transfer some of its route authorities from HND to other gateways...
perhaps you missed that
1. Delta moved its entire Tokyo operation to Haneda and Delta did not have the option to move any of its intra-Asia routes to HND. It simply was not a viable option to keep a hub at NRT and also gain access to HND. DL has the most foreign carrier access to HND and will get its request to transfer some of its route authorities from HND to other gateways which will result in more seats; PDX and HNL are both scheduled w/ the 767-300ER and A330-200, neither of which will be used for the eastern US or even LAX if DL opts to move a route there, the move will result in more capacity.
2. DL operates the same 4 flights/week that AA and UA operate to China right now.
3. DL will grow and re-add other destinations in Asia as it gains new aircraft; 25 transpacific capable A350s plus more than a dozen A330-900s won't end up just over the Atlantic. DL will still add a number of new routes to ICN.
4. Within a couple years, Delta will carry more passengers to Tokyo and Seoul combined than any other US airline. Mark my words.
Haha Tim Dumb yet again turns everything into a Delta thread! It was so nice when he kept his mouth shut for a few days.
and you still can't add a single thing to the topic and can't stand that someone else can.
Lets not forget Norwegian, who had free unusably slow wifi on 737s back in 2014
Wonder if we going to have a-holes who then play their YouTube videos without headphones... What am I talking about? Of course we will!
AirNZ has had free unlimited wifi inflight for many years now and they don’t require you to be a frequent flyer member - admittedly some airframes don’t have this, majority do and it’s quite good!
Do you need to have your SQ number attached to the booking? If so, this will be useless for many people.
In the past yes, but don't know will there be any changes?
https://milelion.com/2023/05/31/singapore-airlines-expands-free-unlimited-inflight-wi-fi-to-all-cabins/
This is a great development. I wonder if SQ are also using ViaSat like Qatar Airways uses? I have never had an issue getting great speeds when flying on Qatar, Youtube videos load speedily in HD, I have also (quietly) made a few voicecalls with Whatsapp and they worked very well. (I was in QSuites, not sat right next to someone in the main cabin) - that I would not do. Qantas have already announced...
This is a great development. I wonder if SQ are also using ViaSat like Qatar Airways uses? I have never had an issue getting great speeds when flying on Qatar, Youtube videos load speedily in HD, I have also (quietly) made a few voicecalls with Whatsapp and they worked very well. (I was in QSuites, not sat right next to someone in the main cabin) - that I would not do. Qantas have already announced when ViaSat 3 launches for the pacific region they will also offer wifi for free (as they do on domestic flights currently. Finally it seems we will have wifi on most flights in another 3 years - I just hope more airlines offer this 'amenity' for free.