Etihad rolls out connectivity-equipped aircraft

Etihad Airways (EY) launched its first aircraft with inflight connectivity—three Airbus A330-300s and one A320—in January. One additional connectivity-enabled A320 will be delivered in March. The service provider for these five aircraft is OnAir. The remainder of the widebody fleet will fall under its Panasonic agreement, according to an EY spokesperson.

The A320 connectivity service offers travelers the option of full mobile use, including phone calls, text messages, emails and mobile data. The A330-300 aircraft will offer the same, as well as Wi-Fi Internet capability.

For its launch phase, EY offers mobile and tablet connectivity from $10, and laptop Wi-Fi connectivity from $20. It charges for mobile telephone calls “according to the international roaming rates of guests’ mobile network provider.”