Danica Djokic
Updated on: December 24, 2023
Short on Time? Here’s the best VPN to protect your data on airplane Wi-Fi in 2024:
- 🥇ExpressVPN. Comes with top-notch security and privacy features that protect all of your online data on airplane Wi-Fi. It has a large server network and lightning-fast speeds that are ideal for airplane Wi-Fi, which is typically slow. Plus, it comes with great streaming support and easy-to-use apps.
Airplane Wi-Fi, like any public Wi-Fi network, isn’t exactly safe. Bad actors can intercept your online activities and get ahold of your personal information, and you may even become a target of a malware attack.
The best way to secure your traffic while connected to airplane Wi-Fi is with a VPN — it encrypts all of the data you send and receive over the internet, which means that even if a hacker gains access to any of it, they won’t be able to read it because it’s coded.
I tested dozens of VPNs and found 3 secure providers that can protect all of your online traffic in the air. ExpressVPN is my top pick — it offers excellent security and the fastest speeds on the market.
What Are the Risks of Using Airplane Wi-Fi?
Data Interception
Public Wi-Fi networks are often unencrypted, which means anyone connected to the network can potentially see everything you’re doing online while connected to it. That means everything from the sites you visit to the information you transmit, including personal details, could potentially be seen by others on the same network.
Cybercriminals have the ability to easily intercept unencrypted data and gain access to your personal information. With the right tools, they can eavesdrop on your online activities and collect sensitive data, like usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, banking details, emails, and other personal information. In a worst-case scenario, this can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to your online accounts.
Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks
This is when hackers position themselves between a device and the connection point to intercept the data in transit. This may happen in any type of online communication, such as email, social media, or web surfing, which means they capture and read the content and potentially gather sensitive information such as login credentials, personal data, or confidential business information.
Hackers can also actively manipulate the data in transit. For instance, they may inject malicious code into legitimate packets of information, alter the content of the communication, or reroute the data to a different destination. This allows them to control your communication or transactions, all without your knowledge. For example, a hacker alters the communication between you and your bank’s website. When you attempt to transfer money to a certain account, the attacker changes the destination account details to their own.
Malware Distribution
Cybercriminals can easily exploit vulnerabilities in airplane Wi-fi networks, which leads to potential cyber-attacks.
One common method attackers employ is by creating fake Wi-Fi hotspots, often named to mimic legitimate services to trick you into connecting. Once you do, the hacker installs malware on your device — a virus designed to damage the system, spyware meant to steal personal data, or ransomware aiming to lock users out of their devices until a ransom is paid.
Moreover, attackers insert malicious code or pop-ups into legitimate web pages accessed through the network. For instance, while you’re trying to access the airport’s official page for flight information, an attacker modifies the page in real-time to include a malicious pop-up. This pop-up prompts you to download an ‘essential update’ or ‘free software’, which in reality is a malware designed to infiltrate your system.
Packet Sniffing Attacks
Hackers don’t necessarily need to target you specifically to steal your data. On shared public Wi-Fi networks, many people send and receive data packets simultaneously. This allows hackers to capture a lot of data as it is transmitted over the network, typically with the help of software. Since the data on an unsecured network is often unencrypted, the hacker, with the help of custom software or readily available tools, analyzes the captured packets relatively easily to extract individual pieces of information.
These packets contain a wealth of personal information. For example, if you’re shopping online, the packets might include your name, address, and credit card details. If you’re checking your emails, they might include your email address, password, and the content of your emails.
Wi-Fi Network Vulnerabilities
Like any software, the firmware that runs Wi-Fi routers can have bugs or security gaps that cybercriminals exploit. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to the network, intercept or alter the data being transmitted over it, or even take control of the network itself.
If successful, the cybercriminal is able to engage in malicious activities, such as monitoring all traffic passing through the router and capturing sensitive information like usernames, passwords, or credit card numbers. Also, they may inject malicious code into the data stream, redirect users to fake websites, or use the compromised router as a launching point for further attacks.
7 Ways to Protect Your Data While Using Airplane Wi-Fi
Airplane Wi-Fi isn’t exactly safe, but there are ways to protect your online traffic and private information when you need an internet connection in the air. Here are some things you can do to reduce the chance of your data being compromised:
Use a VPN
A quality VPN has encrypted servers located all over the world. When you connect to a server, all of your data is routed through an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server. So, if you’re logging into your email while using a VPN, your username and password aren’t just sent directly over the network; instead, they’re encrypted and sent through this secure tunnel. On top of that, the encryption scrambles your data (including the websites you visit) and makes it unreadable, which means that even if a hacker intercepts it, it would be extremely difficult to decipher it while connected to airplane Wi-Fi.
Install Antivirus Software
Antivirus software adds another layer of defense while connected to airplane Wi-Fi. It detects, quarantines, and removes malware from your device and offers real-time protection against threats — so, even if someone tries to infect your device via the airplane Wi-Fi network, a good antivirus detects and blocks it.
Antiviruses also block unsafe websites, thwarting hackers’ attempts to redirect you to fraudulent sites. Some antivirus software includes a firewall to monitor and restrict unauthorized network access, which minimizes the risk of certain Man-in-the-Middle attacks.
Use a Password Manager
A password manager protects your credentials from being stolen via airplane Wi-Fi. Great password managers auto-fill credentials, which means it’s less likely that a hacker could intercept your keystrokes through a keylogger or similar spying software. They also provide phishing protection and stop fake sites from triggering auto-fill. Plus, if you need to share sensitive information with others while on public Wi-Fi, password managers often offer secure methods to do so.
Limit Sensitive Activities
If you’re not using a security tool, I recommend avoiding any sensitive transactions, such as online banking, shopping, or accessing email or social media accounts since hackers can easily exploit potential vulnerabilities on an airplane Wi-Fi network, intercept your data, and steal your personal information.
Disable Auto-Connect
Auto-connecting to Wi-Fi networks can potentially expose you to cyber risks, particularly on public networks such as airplane Wi-Fi networks. This feature might inadvertently connect your device to a rogue network set up by cybercriminals intending to siphon off your data.
That’s why it’s important to disable your device’s auto-connect settings, at least while you’re traveling. To turn this off on iOS, navigate to Settings > Wi-Fi and toggle off the Ask to Join Networks option. For Android users, go to Connections, select Wi-Fi, click Advanced, and switch off Auto connect.
Once your flight’s over, remember to ‘forget’ the airplane network to avoid your device automatically reconnecting. To do this, go to the Wi-Fi settings on your device, select the specific network, and tap Forget it.
Only Use Secure Sites
When browsing on airplane Wi-Fi, make sure to only visit websites that use HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure). The ‘S’ at the end of HTTP indicates that the website is secure, meaning it encrypts the data transferred between your browser and the site — this prevents hackers from intercepting the data in transit. Some browsers allow you to enable a setting that forces all websites to be loaded in HTTPS where possible. For instance, turn this option on in Chrome under Privacy and security.
Choose Public Network
Labeling airplane Wi-Fi as a Public Network tightens your device’s security settings. When a network is marked as public, features like file sharing, network discovery, or public folder sharing, which might be typically enabled on your home network, get automatically disabled. This makes your device less visible and less accessible to other devices on the same network. On Windows, you can choose between Home, Work, and Public networks, and on Mac, you’ll need to turn on Stealth Mode in the firewall settings to get similar benefits.
3 Best VPNs for Securing Your Data on Airplane Wi-Fi in 2024
- 🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for securing your data on airplane Wi-Fi.
- 🥈2. Private Internet Access — Secure VPN for airplane Wi-Fi with excellent privacy.
- 🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Great VPN for streaming on airplane Wi-Fi.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Securing Your Data on Airplane Wi-Fi in 2024
Approved by our experts
ExpressVPN is my top pick for securing your data on airplane Wi-Fi. It has top-notch security features, easy-to-use apps, and the fastest speeds on the market for all online activities.
ExpressVPN is very secure. It comes with industry-standard VPN security features, as well as advanced security features, which include:
- RAM-only servers. Erase all data with every reboot, so the VPN doesn’t keep any information long-term.
- Full leak protection. Protects you against WebRTC, DNS, and IPv6 leaks, which can expose your location and online activities.
- Perfect forward secrecy. Regularly changes the encryption key of your VPN connections, so even if a bad actor compromises 1 key, they’ll only gain access to a small amount of information. All past or future traffic will remain safe.
- An audited no-logs policy. ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy has been audited and confirmed multiple times.
- Threat Manager. Blocks malicious sites and trackers. In my tests, it stopped me from visiting shady sites on public Wi-Fi 100% of the time.
- Ad blocker. Blocks annoying ads on websites and allows them to load faster.
- ExpressVPN Keys. A password manager that generates strong new passwords, which are hard to crack, and securely stores existing ones.
With ExpressVPN, you’ll get the fastest speeds on the market. I tested it multiple times, both at home and while connected to public Wi-Fi, and I barely even noticed I was connected to a VPN. All sites and HD videos loaded instantly, my videos never buffered, and I could even watch 4K videos lag-free.
I like that ExpressVPN has great streaming support. It works with 100+ streaming services, including popular sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.
ExpressVPN is also pretty easy to use. There’s a quick-connect button if you want to get the fastest speed possible, but you can easily find any server location as ExpressVPN divides them by region.
ExpressVPN offers pricing plans that start at $6.67 / month. Plus, all its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.
Read our full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Great Privacy For All Online Activities on Airplane Wi-Fi
Private Internet Access (PIA) has secure connections while connected to airplane Wi-Fi. It includes advanced security features, including RAM-only servers, full leak protection, and perfect forward secrecy. Its no-logs policy has been independently audited and confirmed, and I like that it regularly releases transparency reports to show that it doesn’t comply with any data requests from authorities.
One of my favorite features is PIA MACE, which is an ad, tracker, and malware blocker. In my tests, it blocked every ad on all sites I visited, and it stopped me from opening any suspicious sites. This is useful if you accidentally connect to a fake Wi-Fi network that may try to direct your browser to malicious sites.
PIA has great speeds, but it’s a bit slower than ExpressVPN. In my tests, sites and HD videos loaded instantly both at home and on public Wi-Fi, and 4K videos only took about 1–2 seconds to load, with minor buffering. Plus, as PIA comes with servers in 91 locations, there’s less of a chance to connect to an overcrowded server which could slow down your connection.
You get really good streaming support, too. It works with 30+ streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. My colleague in the US confirmed it works with Hulu, and my UK colleague said it works with BBC iPlayer.
Private Internet Access’s plans cost as low as $2.11 / month and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Secure VPN For Streaming on Airplane Wi-Fi
CyberGhost VPN lets you securely stream your favorite shows on airplane Wi-Fi thanks to its dedicated streaming servers. The VPN has 100+ streaming servers across 20+ different countries that work with 50+ streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
CyberGhost has top-notch privacy and security features. It has an independently audited no-logs policy, issues a transparency report, uses RAM-only servers, and comes with perfect forward secrecy. It also protects against DNS and IPv6 leaks, which is great, but it doesn’t offer protection against WebRTC leaks like ExpressVPN.
It also comes with an ad, tracker, and malicious site blocker called Content Blocker — it always stopped me from visiting shady HTTPS sites. That said, it only blocked ads in search engines and not on any of the sites I visited (unlike Private Internet Access’s MACE and ExpressVPN’s ad blocker).
CyberGhost is really fast on public Wi-Fi. All sites and HD videos took about 2–3 seconds to load, and 4K videos loaded in 3–4 seconds.
CyberGhost VPN offers cheap plans ($2.03 / month). Its long-term plans come with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, while the short-term plan comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Read our full CyberGhost VPN review
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to connect to a plane Wi-Fi?
Connecting to airplane Wi-Fi can be very risky, like with any public Wi-Fi. This is because cybercriminals can potentially access your data, spy on your online activities, steal your personal information, and install malware on your device.
To mitigate these risks, I recommend using a premium VPN to encrypt your data. My favorite VPN is ExpressVPN, as it’s very secure, very fast, and very easy to use.
Is airplane Wi-Fi fast enough for Netflix?
Airplane Wi-Fi, like any public Wi-Fi, is slower and less reliable compared to a typical home or office internet connection. But, with a good VPN, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to maintain a stable connection for streaming on Netflix.
If you want to secure your streaming in the air, consider a quality VPN — it encrypts all of your online activities while also maintaining very fast speeds. The best VPN for Netflix is ExpressVPN — it works with tons of Netflix libraries and has the fastest speeds on the market.
What is the best VPN for securing your data on airplane Wi-Fi?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for protecting your traffic on airplane Wi-Fi. It comes with top-notch security and privacy features, like full leak protection, a safe password manager, and a malicious site blocker.
Can I connect to airplane Wi-Fi using a free VPN?
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. All free VPNs come with limitations, such as a cap on your daily or monthly bandwidth that may prevent you from using the VPN for the entire flight. Also, free VPNs typically have slow speeds, which make streaming nearly impossible on airplane Wi-Fi, and some lack basic security features.
I always recommend getting an affordable VPN like ExpressVPN — it’s ultra secure, comes with useful extras like a malicious site blocker, and is the fastest VPN available.
