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| Passenger accessing in-flight Wi-Fi. Photo: OnAir |
[Avionics Today 02-02-2015] Saudia has become the first airline to develop and deploy a mobile phone application for free in-flight Wi-Fi. With the app, passengers can scan their ticket’s bar code for Wi-Fi access delivered by aircraft connectivity provider OnAir.
Saudia’s first class and business passengers flying on the airline’s A330s and Boeing 777-300s on international routes will receive a promotional code to access in-flight Internet when they scan their boarding passes via the mobile application. Passengers can currently download the app from the Apple store and it will soon become available to Android devices.
“More and more airlines are providing free Wi-Fi as an integral part of the passenger experience and Saudia is the first to provide a specific app for in-flight connectivity,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of the recently established joint business SITA OnAir. “Airlines are developing new and innovative ways to differentiate their connectivity, particularly since Wi-Fi and mobile phone services become commoditized in the air, as they already are on the ground.”