In-Flight Wi-Fi, By the Numbers
Just a few years ago, having Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet was considered a luxury. Today, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion — at least it is for American travelers hitting the open skies. Let's take a look at in-flight Wi-Fi, by the numbers:
83%: According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, 83% of all seats on US-based airlines are now equipped for in-flight Wi-Fi — up from 74% in 2015.
28%: The same article, which collected data from Routehappy — a site that rates and tracks airlines and their amenities — says your chances of finding Wi-Fi service when traveling with an international carrier drops significantly, to just 28%.
3 airlines: Routehappy reports just three airlines offer Wi-Fi on 100% of their available seat miles (ASMs): Icelandair, Virgin America and Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. (Note that JetBlue recently shared the news that it's rolled out Wi-Fi to its entire fleet as well.)
600 million: When it comes to Wi-Fi capabilities, Delta leads the pack, with more than 600 million of its ASMs ready to get you online (the airline recently equipped more than 66 million ASMs). United and Emirates filled out the second and third sports for most connected seat miles, respectively.
126 million: Though Emirates comes in third for Routehappy's most connected airlines by total ASMs, it still tops the list for the biggest gain, having recently added 126 million Wi-Fi-ready seat miles. According to Condé Nast Traveler, this is due in part to the fact that the airline operates the largest fleet of Airbus A380s, the largest commercial aircraft. The carrier also tops Routehappy's list for most Wi-Fi available on long-haul routes.
7 airlines: Routehappy's 2017 survey concluded that seven airlines are now offering Wi-Fi on 100% of their long-haul flights: Delta, Etihad, Iberia, Icelandair, Lufthansa, Scoot and United.
7.2%: According to the Los Angeles Times, if you're hoping to continue that Netflix binge-watch from your seat, you're probably out of luck. Only 7.2% of airlines worldwide offer a strong enough signal to allow for in-flight streaming — though this number is increasing, albeit slowly; in 2015, only 6% of travelers could stream movies or video.
H/T: Routehappy
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
