Want to keep surfing the web and talking while you’re flying, but don’t want to pay exy airline costs? Vodafone has you covered.
Overseas roaming is a factor many of us need to consider when there’s an upcoming work trip or even a holiday, but what about when you’re flying?
While you might treat the time in the air as the ideal time to catch up on some movies, TV shows, play a buffet of games, or even just get some shut-eye, some people might like their life to keep going, and that might mean all the access they have on the ground.
Unfortunately, staying connected as you fly isn’t cheap, with inflight WiFi and mobile access often fairly high-priced. On Singapore Airlines alone, inflight WiFi can be complimentary depending on the class you fly and your KrisFlyer membership status, but otherwise you might be asked to pay anywhere between $3.99 USD and $15.99 USD to stay connected, the former being an hourly price while the latter is a full-flight price.
That’s just one airline, and each will have its own pricing for inflight access, so what can you do?
If you’re a Vodafone customer, you might just be able to extend your regular plan by paying $5 AUD for every 24 hour period, based on an addition rolling out to Australian Vodafone subscribers.
Much like Vodafone’s $5 a day roaming service, the telco is now adding $5 a day inflight access, as well. It means if you subscribe to Vodafone, you’ll only need to pay $5 to access inflight roaming mid-flight, working on airlines such as:
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Lufthansa
- Malaysia Airlines, and
- Singapore Airlines.
The access is an extra, much like the $5 roaming available to Vodafone customers, and works for a 24 hour period, though Vodafone noted it’s distinct to the $5 international roaming.
Technically, this means if your total flight time was 30 hours including a layover, and you wanted Vodafone mobile access the entire way through, your total would likely be $10 to $15, depending on how you approached it: $5 for each 24 hours of in-flight time and potentially another $5 for the on-ground layover you might have.
Either way, it’s still a whole lot more economical than the cost of inflight mobile and WiFi access on some airlines, with the support extending your plan’s regular inclusions of talk, text, and even data. It may not get quite the speed of a 5G connection on ground, mind you, but it’s something. Vodafone notes the data plan available mid-air only covers your maximum speed data, so you may not want to expect unlimited data in the air like how plans work on the ground.
“We have customers joining Vodafone every day who are sick of the great roaming rip off,” said Kieran Cooney, Consumer Group Executive for Vodafone in Australia.
“Whether you’re in another country or on your way there, Vodafone is working hard to help you stay connected and save money,” he said.
“For a flat fee of only $5 per day, customers can use their device to stay in touch with loved ones, share their travel selfies, and even get some work done, all while cruising above the clouds. Best of all, customers won’t have to worry about any hidden costs or bill shock when they arrive home.”
Vodafone’s $5 roaming in-flight addition is available for customers now. For people who don’t want to use it, you may just want to manage the settings on the Vodafone app or keep your phone on Airplane mode.
