British Airways is now proactively sending notifications to passengers to let them know that Wi-Fi might not be available on their flight, an acknowledgement, perhaps, that in-flight Wi-Fi is no longer a luxury or gimmick but a necessity for travelers wanting to use the flight time to catch up with work.
It should be noted that this initiative isn’t unusual for many U.S. airlines that have proactively emailed passengers about inoperable Wi-Fi for several years, although it has only just dawned on British Airways.
Proactive emails about a lack of Wi-Fi will only be sent for long-haul flights, and passengers will be given six hours’ notice to make the necessary arrangements to download work materials or manage their schedule so that they can cope without Wi-Fi for the duration of the flight.
This is purely a courtesy notification: No Wi-Fi on a flight will not be accepted as a reason for passengers to swap to an alternative flight with working Wi-Fi without incurring a change fee.
Last year, IAG, the parent company of British Airways, announced that it had signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to equip its planes with the superfast satellite Wi-Fi service.
Once rolled out, Starlink internet will provide a much more reliable connection, and passengers will be able to use the internet just like they would using a broadband connection on the ground.
British Airways claims the rollout is expected to start in 2026, although, unlike other airlines that have signed up to Starlink, BA has yet to provide any sort of timeline for when installations are expected to start.
Given that some aircraft in BA’s long-haul fleet still don’t even have Wi-Fi at all, the rollout cannot come soon enough.
Proactively telling passengers about a lack of in-flight Wi-Fi is part of a broader initiative to improve the service that British Airways offers passengers in times of disruption.
The airline says it wants to get better at communicating with passengers, although much of this will depend on technology – an area that British Airways has lagged behind in for many years.
