Chalk one up in the win column for Air Canada’s loyalty marketing team for coming up with a new way to thank their most loyal customers… free Wifi.
It may seem small, but when the price of a Gogo flight pass starts at $18 USD per flight and rubberbands well higher if you buy in-flight, it sure is nice that Air Canada’s 75k and 100k members won’t have to think about it. Air Canada’s Altitude members that fly 75,000 miles a year will get 6 months free while those Super Elite’s flying 100,000 miles a year will get 1 year.
Now, it’s not perfect. It could be free for all elites, free for First/Business Class, or free for all. But it’s definitely a welcome step in the right direction that rewards real loyalty with a real give back.
JetBlue already leads among US carriers with completely high-speed free FlyFi service for all, thanks to a partnership with Amazon. As well, here in the US, T-Mobile cellular customers get a free hour of Wifi on every flight (even on your laptop if you know how…).
Beyond that, Turkish Airlines offers free Wifi to its elite members and Business Class passengers. Japan Airlines offers free Wifi in First Class and very reasonable full-flight plans otherwise.
Am I missing any with real, free Wifi?
My biggest pet peeve for international Wifi may well be the “metered plans” that get consumed quickly by slow data rates, effectively making the purchase useless and tying your hands on productivity. I’d almost rather they don’t offer it at all because I end up so frustrated. See my rant on this otherwise great KLM Dreamliner flight from Amsterdam to JFK.
PS: Another way to get free Wifi? Play the MilesTalk “Where Am I?” game on Instagram, where I give away free Gogo Wifi passes when you correctly guess where I am twice.
Would this make you fly Air Canada more? Let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
