When the aircraft reached an altitude of 3,000m, we were able to connect to OnAir – the name of the WiFi routers on VNA’s A350 aircraft.
Device interface when connecting to the WiFi router (Cre: Quynh Trang).
The WiFi experiment was conducted with ten individuals on different personal devices… (Cre: Mai Huong).
… including PC, Android and iOS phones with the 80MB data package (Cre: Mai Huong).
In terms of email sending, messaging, and network connection speed at an altitude of 10,000m, I did not experience any significant differences versus a typical ground connection. However, it took around 1-2 minutes to send images via Viber or Messenger. After sending three images via Viber, Messenger, and email, and doing some ‘Googling,’ here is the speed of image uploading on Facebook.
Video of posting an update with images on social media (Video: Mai Huong).
Many customers on the flight showed their interest and desire to experience VNA’s inflight WiFi service soon. Actress Hong Anh was one of the participants of the inflight WiFi demo session, and she happily provided some positive feedback: “Connected. Tried. Surfing the net, checking email, checking Facebook, and messaging at high speed. It looks like Vietnam Airlines is determined to become a Digital Airline in the near future. Customers now have more options. In addition to watching movies, playing games, or listening to music, now passengers can use WiFi to work. Such a convenient experience! You have my support!”
Actress Hong Anh’s feedback after experiencing VNA’s inflight WiFi service (Cre: Facebook).
Let’s hope that VNA’s efforts in providing state-of-the-art and unique services receive positive support and approval from customers.
With a price range of $2.95 – $29.95 (VND75,000-VND735,000), the airline’s passengers can choose from different packages with various access time and data capacity (up to 80MB). Payment can be made using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, or Diners Club after the aircraft finishes its ascension.
At the moment, inflight WiFi service is best optimized for text messaging on popular apps such as Viber, iMessage, Messenger, Whatsapp. Passengers that will benefit the most might be those with the need for extensive communication during flights. Going forward, VNA is researching into upgrading and extending the service to other Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft with better connection speeds.
Note: Internet access speed may vary against experience in the article, depending on the number of users, satellite position, and devices used.
Nguyen Mai Huong – COMM
