Unlimited WiFi on 36 Airlines for $11/mo? Yes please!

Unlimited WiFi on 36 airlines for $11 a month?  Yes, you read that right.

This is not the usual 'cheap airfare' post seen on this blog.  This may actually be a 'scoop' of sorts.  As far as I know, none of the numerous travel blogs I follow has done a post or article about this yet.  Read on...

Lufthansa, the German airline, has an innovations team called Lufthansa Innovation Hub.

They offer a verified mobile app on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store called AirlineCheckins.  Website is www.airlinecheckins.com

Lufthansa recently announced new features in its mobile app, including lounge access and in-flight WiFi.  Users can sign up for unlimited WiFi access on 36 airlines for just $11 a month.  These features were announced to app users via email on Weds Aug 15:  Good news: As of today the AirlineCheckins App is available with new services including inflight WiFi and lounge access!

This looks like an excellent deal for people doing a lot of international travel, or travel within Europe or Asia; see below for the list of participating airlines.  It remains to be seen to what extent this service may work on domestic U.S. flights.

Anyone who flies a lot and even occasionally uses internet access in-flight will realize $11 a month is a really low price for unlimited in-flight WiFi.

Good news: As of today the AirlineCheckins App is available with new services including inflight WiFi and lounge access!

How the App Works

The main functionality of the AirlineCheckins app is to allow users to check in for their flights on any airline in the world that offers online check-in.  I cannot comment on how well the app works, as I've not used it.  However, a friend of mine has used it and seemed pleased with it so far.

Interestingly, the brief description of the app on the (Apple) App Store is different than from the (Google) Play Store:  

App Store:  As the first industry-wide solution of this kind, AirlineCheckins.com manages the check-in for all airlines in the world that offer an online check-in. The check-in is executed within seconds after the check-in window of the respective airline opens. Travelers are more likely to get their preferred seat and bypass the burden of needing to manually complete check-in forms for their flight. Travelers automatically receive their boarding pass by e-mail or SMS.

Play Store:  AirlineCheckins.com is an automatic check-in service that checks travelers in for more than 220 airlines worldwide. Travelers can register at AirlineCheckins.com for free and store their travel documentation, personal information and seating preferences in their profile. Travelers are then automatically checked in for all flights which are booked using their personal AirlineCheckins.com e-mail address

How Do I Sign Up?

• Install the app on your mobile device and register for the service on the website.
• Here's the registration page:  https://www.airlinecheckins.com/signup
• The mobile app is free

Caveats

• The subscription can be used on only one device - the first device on which the app is installed.
• This program does not look like a good fit for people doing a lot of domestic U.S. travel.  Most of the U.S.-based airlines - including Alaska, Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest, and United - are not covered by this service.
• For Canadian travel, this may be a good option.  WestJet is included but Air Canada is not.
• Availability looks to be VERY limited - the email announcement indicates that the Plus package, which included WiFi access, is limited to 2,222 registrants.
• The WiFi access is valid on many, but NOT all airlines worldwide.  
• American Airlines is included, but the free WiFi may not work on some/many of their domestic flights as AA is still using GoGo internet on many domestic flights.

Here's the Three Service Levels.  The Plus is 30 Euro for 3 months.

About the Technology

• Airlinecheckins' WiFi partner is iPass.
• It isn't completely clear yet whether this is compatible with Panasonic-powered in-flight WiFi, GoGo in-flight WiFi, both, or neither.
• Lufthansa uses technology partner Inmarsat for in-flight WiFi.  Deutsche Telekom is the ISP for Lufthansa.  (LINK)
• This service may be available only on planes that offer in-flight WiFi branded as Panasonic.  Panasonic has made inroads in the in-flight WiFi delivery space which, to my understanding, has been dominated for a long time by rival GoGo.

Full List of Participating Airlines

Here is the full list of airlines whose flights - but necessarily ALL of their flights - are covered by this Airlinecheckins WiFi subscription.

Aer Lingus
AeroMexico
Air Austral
Air Europa
Air France
Air Serbia
Air Seychelles
Alitalia
All Nippon Airlines (ANA)
American Airlines
Asiana Airlines
Cathay Pacific
China Airlines
EVA Air
Etihad Airways
Eurowings
Garuda Indonesia
Gulf Air
Hong Kong Airlines
INTERJET
Iberia Airlines
Japan Airlines (Domestic)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Kuwait Airways
Lufthansa
Malaysia Airlines
Malindo Air
Qatar Airways
Rwandair Express
SWISS
Scoot
Singapore Airlines
Thai Airways International
Ukraine International Airlines
Virgin Atlantic Airways
WestJet

Enrollment Confirmation

This is what it looks like once subscribed.