Major Canadian airline to offer free internet on flights

A major Canadian airline will offer free internet on flights after striking a deal with Telus.

Most airlines charge a fee for internet onboard but WestJet will soon offer the inflight perk for free.

WestJet and Telus announced a multi-year partnership that will provide fast and free internet, delivered by Starlink onboard WestJet aircraft.

“Through our strategic partnership with Telus, we are setting a new standard in the Canadian airline industry by offering Starlink’s revolutionary inflight connectivity, and thanks to Telus we are able to bring this inflight experience to WestJet Rewards guests for free,” said John Weatherill, WestJet group executive vice-president and chief commercial officer.

In the coming months, WestJet and Telus will announce additional, exclusive benefits and perks for WestJet Rewards members and Telus customers.

“The future of inflight connectivity and entertainment is here, and we’re excited to enter this long-term partnership with WestJet to enhance the flying experience for guests and bring more value to WestJet Rewards members and Telus customers, whether they are on the ground or in the air,” said Zainul Mawji, executive vice-president and president, Telus Consumer Solutions.

WestJet will be the largest North American and first commercial Boeing 737 airline to offer inflight connectivity powered by Starlink’s best-in-class technology platform, which includes the world’s largest satellite constellation, a press release from WestJet states.

Starlink was selected as WestJet’s new inflight technology partner because it can deliver enough bandwidth and the lowest latency internet.

All travellers should be able to live-stream videos or online games direct from their devices as if they were at home, the release states.

The free internet should be on flights before the end of 2024, with plans to complete the installation on WestJet’s modern narrowbody fleet by the end of 2025. All wide-body aircraft are planned to be upgraded by the end of 2026.

Access to the new inflight system will be exclusively provided to WestJet Rewards members free of charge thanks to Telus, the release states.

WestJet guests can easily become WestJet Rewards members by creating a WestJet Rewards account online at any time before their WestJet-operated flight.

Lead photo: Athena Sandrini