Airplanes connect to the internet through two methods. The antennas mounted on aircraft pick up signals from ground-based cell towers or orbiting satellites. Alaska Airlines has some aircraft outfitted with air-to-ground (ATG) antennas and most with satellite connections. Your flight’s Wi-Fi method is determined by the type of aircraft and its age. New additions to Alaska’s fleet are being built with satellite connectivity because it’s faster and more reliable than ATG connections.
It’s common for newer and larger aircraft to offer fast satellite internet, especially on longer flights. If you’re flying Alaska Airlines, especially for the first time, you might be wondering how to connect your phone, tablet, or Chromebook, how much it costs, and what you get. We cover whether your Alaska Airlines flight has Streaming-fast satellite Wi-Fi or Basic Wi-Fi (air-to-ground), pricing options for both, how to connect, and restrictions on what you can do.
Alaska Airlines aircraft with satellite Wi-Fi or air-to-ground Wi-Fi
Satellite Wi-Fi is common on Alaska Airlines flights and available on most of its flights. If you know your flight has Wi-Fi, skip this section and go to the section on how to connect to it.
While there’s no way to easily determine what type of Wi-Fi your flight has before boarding, you can check if your plane offers Wi-Fi, and then you can figure out if it’s more likely to have satellite or air-to-ground internet by looking at the type of aircraft. There are some exceptions, and it’s worth checking the Alaska Airlines Inflight Wi-Fi page and the page for the current plane listed for your flight for the most up-to-date information.
If you are flying any of the following aircraft, you should have satellite internet on your flight:
- All Boeing 737 MAX
- All Boeing 737-900ERs
- All but one Boeing 737-900
- All Boeing 737-800s
The remaining aircraft have basic Wi-Fi air-to-ground internet:
- All Embraer E175s
- All Boeing 737-700s
- One Boeing 737-900
Exceptions to the listed aircraft:
- When flying above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, there is no satellite Wi-Fi.
- When flying to Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, or certain parts of Alaska, there is no basic Wi-Fi.
Alaska Airlines is working to update its fleet, and some of the planes that are getting Wi-Fi antenna updates will fly without Wi-Fi for a short period. To find out what plane you are flying, go to Alaska Airlines Homepage and click the menu tab for Flight status. Enter your departure date and the flight number, or your departure date, the airport you’re flying from, and the airport you are flying to. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on Your aircraft. There, you’ll find detailed information about the plane you are flying on and its internet status. There is one Boeing 737-900 in its fleet that does not have satellite Wi-Fi, while the rest do.
How to connect to Alaska Airlines inflight Wi-Fi
Connecting to Wi-Fi on your flight is easy but can be confusing if you’ve never done it before. You can’t just select the network and enter a login and password like you can at home or a coffee shop. Instead, you’ll go through a web browser on your portal.
1. Put your device into Airplane Mode.
2. Turn on your device’s Wi-Fi and choose the alaskawifi.com network.
3. Open your web browser and go to alaskawifi.com.
4. Choose what you’d like to do from the list: free texting, entertainment, or the internet.
Free texting is free with no strings attached, but it is limited to iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. This option is only available on flights with inflight internet, even if you aren’t purchasing a package. You can also access 800+ movies and TV episodes for free during your flight, even if it doesn’t have inflight internet. The entertainment library is stored on an onboard server, so it doesn’t require an internet connection. If you choose this, you’re limited to Alaska Airlines library, but there are plenty of options. You must purchase a Wi-Fi package for your trip to get more access to browse the web or stream from services like Netflix or Hulu.
The price of Wi-Fi on an Alaska Airlines flight
If your plane has satellite Wi-Fi, the connection during your flight is $8, and it’s like having a regular high-speed internet connection on the ground. You’re traveling at around 500mph and 30k feet in the air and might experience brief interruptions or a drop in streaming quality. If your flight only has basic Wi-Fi, prices vary up to $24.99, and you can’t stream or download large files. That’s due to limitations in air-to-ground technology.
If you have an Alaska Airlines Visa credit card, you get a 20% discount on your internet package. If you’re a frequent flyer or taking multiple flights, visit wifionboard.com for inflight internet passes and subscription plans. If you have T-Mobile, you may be eligible for free Wi-Fi, depending on your plan, so check that out first.
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Wi-Fi usage restrictions on an Alaska Airlines flight
While inflight Wi-Fi is great for keeping entertained on a long flight, there are some restrictions to be aware of.
- Like your home internet, a plane has a bandwidth limit on how much data it can handle at one time. Users are typically auto-throttled so that data usage is evenly distributed among everyone on the plane.
- You can’t connect if you’re running a VPN or iCloud Private Relay, and you need to turn those off before purchasing Wi-Fi or accessing the free movie and TV show library.
- You only have access to the free entertainment library while onboard the plane. If you don’t finish your movie, you can’t finish later.
- Some R-rated content in the entertainment library has been edited, but a label tells you this, so you know ahead of time.
- Alaska Airlines doesn’t allow you to make voice or video calls during the flight.
Stay connected while you fly
If you’re flying on a plane with satellite Wi-Fi, Alaska Airlines has fast internet speeds at a low cost. Alaska continually improves its fleet, upgrading older planes and outfitting new ones with a satellite connection. Some planes still have only air-to-ground Wi-Fi. For some, the cost isn’t worth it due to bandwidth and speed limitations. Even if you don’t purchase an internet package, you can still watch inflight movies and send text for free. To get the most from your inflight movies, pair your earbuds with the plane’s entertainment system, kick back, and enjoy the show.
