British Airways is rolling out WiFi on short-haul flights… but how safe is it?
BRITISH AIRWAYS will introduce ‘fastest’ WiFi on its short-haul flights from next summer.
We are giving customers the fastest connectivity you can get on any aircraft
The carrier’s owner IAG has announced it will roll out the service on British Airways flights as well as Veiling, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
IAG has levelled a deal with technology company Inmarsat and claims the connectivity will be just like 4G on the ground.
IAG CEO Willie Walsh said: “We are giving customers the fastest connectivity you can get on any aircraft.
“Connectivity is essential because it’s what our customers demand and IAG will be the first European airline group to offer high-quality air to ground Wi-Fi on short-haul flights.”
A321 will be the first aircraft in BA’s fleet to launch internet in the air and the launch date is expected next summer.
IAG hopes to have 90 per cent of BA fleet providing the service by 2019.
Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale said: “The European Aviation Network is a game changer for the millions of airline passengers that have been cut off from fast, reliable and consistent broadband access during flights in Europe.
“It will provide IAG airlines with unprecedented high-speed capacity by combining the strengths of Inmarsat’s satellite connectivity with a powerful ground network operated by our partner Deutsche Telekom.”
Aussie pilot asks girlfriend to marry him in mid-flight
Rival airlines Lufthansa and Norwegian already offer WiFi on shorter flights but BA currently only offers the service on some long-haul journeys.
Several major airlines in the US already provide the service including American, Delta and United.
In-flight internet is growing rapidly and last year a whopping 52 airlines around the globe offered it as a service to passengers.
The prevalence of US in-flight Wi-Fi has grown 1,600-fold since 2013.
Gogo is the main provider whilst its two main competitors, ViaSat and GEE use satellites exclusively for airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest.
But there are still security issues with using the interest on board a plane.
There is no password protection on the Wi-Fi connection, so anyone could potentially intercept all data that’s being transmitted on the wireless network.
Airplanes are more at risk of hackers than airports or coffee shops as all the passengers are crammed in one small space.
IAG has been contacted for comment.