Air Canada Wifi Guide

by | Airport Guides

As an experienced WiFi expert, I have had the pleasure of testing Air Canada’s in-flight WiFi services on many occasions. From my experience, I can say that Air Canada offers some of the best and most reliable in-flight WiFi services available today. But this may not be the case for everyone as I am not a heavy wifi user doing huge file downloads.

But this may not be the case for everyone as I am not a heavy wifi user doing huge file downloads.

I recently wrote about Delta’s wifi in this guide. In comparing the two airlines, not only does Delta provide greater coverage for its wifi services, but also has more planes in its fleet that feature onboard Wifi compared to Air Canada. It is also important to note that Delta offers larger plans with higher download speeds of up to 1.5 Megabits per second while Air Canada limits its network access to a maximum speed of 500-600 Kibbits per second.

When flying with Air Canada, you can enjoy download speeds of up to 500-600 Kibibits per second and uploads at 300 Kibbits per second.

What is Wifi in airlines?

Wifi in airlines is a service that allows passengers to access the internet while they are flying. It can be used for web browsing, video streaming, and various other web-based activities such as checking emails or using social media. Air Canada’s wifi system uses advanced technology to ensure reliable connections and faster speeds than other airline services.

Some airlines offer wifi in specific domestic or intercontinental flights. Air Canada takes it a step further and offers wifi in most of its domestic and international flights. The airline also provides special features such as streaming entertainment, complimentary access to select websites, and more.

Have you ever questioned how Wi-Fi functions on an airplane? It’s actually quite basic – in a manner similar to your cell phone, the aircraft has an antenna situated under its hull that remotely links up with cellular towers. As the plane moves, it merely connects to whichever transmitter provides the strongest signal and automatically switches as necessary.

Look at AT4G coverage map showing that Wifi is only available for Air Canada flights operating in the lower quarter of Canada’s landmass.

map showing Gogo wifi coverage for Air Canada

What are the benefits of having Wifi on board?

  • Air Canada Wifi helps you stay connected to your friends, family and colleagues during your flight.
  • You can use the service to read or write emails, work on documents, or browse through any web pages of your choice.
  • You can access a variety of entertainment options such as videos streaming services like Netflix and music streaming apps such as Spotify.
  • Get the news – fast and reliable internet connection also helps you stay updated on any important developments that may occur during your flight.
  • You can also make use of apps like WhatsApp or iMessage to keep in touch with people back home.

Does Air Canada offer free wifi?

According to its updated website with details of their wifi options, Air Canada offers Wi-Fi on select North American, Caribbean and international flights. This means that select domestic and international customers will be able to enjoy the same Wi-Fi services while flying.

In April 2014, Air Canada made headlines as the first airline in North America to offer inflight wifi as per the Cision Press Release below on this feat;

In 2014, Air Canada took the exciting step of expanding their WiFi connectivity to include two Airbus 319s flying in both Canada and America. As well as these planes, they also planned on installing WiFi access across A319s, A320s, and A321s; Embraer 190 fleet types plus Air Canada Express CRJ-705’s and Embraer 175 aircraft—once an agreement had been reached with Gogo for installation of Air-To-Ground technology.

Do all Air Canada Planes Have Wifi?

Unfortunately not. While there has been progress since the only 2 Wii-enabled Air Canada flights in 2014, some AC flights still do not feature Wifi access. To know for certain, you should check the amenities section on your flight details page or contact Air Canada’s customer service team.

How to know if your Air Canada Flight has Wifi:

To make it easy for you to know which Air Canada Airline has wifi installed onboard, Air Canada has a dedicated page where you can search whether a particular flight from one location such as Vancouver or Sydney to other destinations such as JFK has internet.

You can search for Wifi availability by flight number or by route number. Below is a snapshot showing Air Canada flights from Vancouver to New York’s JFK on Dec 22, 2022, listing those with and those without wifi.

The snapshot below shows the availability status more clearly;

Air Canada’s Wi-Fi status page only displays upcoming five days of availability data. If you don’t find your flight information right away, come back later to check for updates.

Does Air Canada Have Free Wifi?

When Air Canada Partnered with Gogo in 2014 to offer inflight wifi service on trial basis, they wanted to put two satellite-based systems, using Gogo 2KU and Inmarsat GlobalXpress KA-band solutions so they could run tests and improve Wifi speed connection over time.

I could not find info on whether the trial period from 2014 to 2015 required passengers to pay but as of 2022/23, all Wifi packages offered by Air Canada are paid.

About gogo wifi air canada

Gogo is an internet provider for air-to-ground (ATG) technology in aircraft that sets up communication between the plane and the ground. This technology helps airline passengers access the internet while they are in mid-air.

Gogo has been providing inflight Wi-Fi connections to several airlines all over the world since 2005. Hence, Air Canada passengers now have the ability to enjoy Wi-Fi services while they are in mid-air. There are different packages offered by Air Canada depending on the type of connection you need, such as the Gogo Chat and Text option which is ideal for basic messaging and browsing, or the more comprehensive Gogo Unlimited with speeds up to 10 Mbps.

How much does Air Canada Wifi Cost?

You can purchase CAD $6.50 to get 1-hour internet access on your Air Canada flight. For a full 1-way pass, you pay $21 CAD and can also opt for monthly access for a price of $65.95 CAD. On a flight from Sydney to Vancouver which lasts for approximately 7 hours, you can expect to pay around $45 CAD for access but can also opt for the cheaper 1-way pass of just $21 CAD.

For short flights lasting less than 3 hours, it is better to get the day pass of $6.5 per hour which adds to $19.5 CAD and which is still less than the $21 CAD for a 1-way Wifi pass.

See the three plans in the snapshot below;

Here is the webpage to choose the subscription you want to purchase.

If you decide to purchase you flight when you’ve boarded instead of making the purchase in advance on Gogo’s website, you can do so by following the instruction you can find on AC website here;

  • Step 1:Turn on Wifi while on Airplane mode.
  • Step 2:Connect to ACWIFI or RougeWifi network
  • Step 3: Open your browser and type “aircanadawifi.com” or rougewifi.com”“ (on Air Canada Rouge flights) in the search bar.

The Air Canada Wifi app isn’t really there as they rely entirely on Gogo, an external service provider. You can however download the Air Canada App for iOS or Android here.

Snapshot showing how to connect to Wi-fi onboard Air Canada Flight

Does Air Canada have free wifi on international flights?

Canada does not have free wifi on all its international flights. On its website, it states that select Caribbean and North America flights have Wifi installed. Air Canada may offer complimentary wifi on select international flights where the airline has a promotional agreement with Gogo or the service provider.

I was honestly expecting Air Canada to have an internet connection available for its long flights as many airlines have tried to make international flights bearable by installing Wifi. Here is a list of all flights with onboard wifi

Air Canada wifi hack

I was surprised to learn of ways people try to access Air Canada Wifi without paying by hacking using VPN. With VPN, you can access the internet free of cost as it changes your IP address. But this is against Air Canada’s policy and punishable by law, so I do not recommend doing it. One Reddit user was, however, quick to point out that Gogo’s terms of use do not explicitly prohibit backdoor accessing of their Wifi using VPN.

Read more from this Reddit discussion on how to hack Wifi on Air Canada flight.

Air Canada Fleet that have Wifi onboard:

Wide-body fleet:

  • Boeing 777-300ER (77W)
  • Boeing 777-200LR (77L)
  • Airbus A330-300 (333)
  • Boeing 787-9 (789)
  • Boeing 787-8 (788)

Narrow-body fleet with internet:

  • Airbus A321-200 (321)
  • Airbus A220-300 (223)
  • Airbus A320-200 (320)
  • Airbus A319-100 (319)
  • Embraer E175 (E75)
  • Mitsubishi CRJ900 (CR9)
  • Airbus A321-200 (321)
  • Airbus A319-100 (319)

FAQs

Q: How do I connect to Air Canada wifi?

A: First, make sure your device is in airplane mode. Then, turn on the Wifi and connect to either “ACWIFI” or “RougeWifi”, depending on which type of flight you’re taking. Finally, open a browser window and type “aircanadawifi.com” or “rougewifi.com” (on Air Canada Rouge flights) into the address bar.

Q: Can I access Air Canada’s internet for free?

A: No. Air Canada does not offer free Wifi on any of their flights. You can purchase a subscription plan depending on the length of your flight if that particular flight has wifi onboard.

Q: Does Wifi work on Airplane mode?

A: Yes. To connect to Air Canada’s Wifi, you need to be on airplane mode and then turn on Wifi. Remember, Wifi uses radio signals, which are blocked by airplane mode. However, you can turn on Wifi without disabling airplane mode in order to access the internet.

Q: Is it safe to use Air Canada’s Wifi?

A: Yes. Air Canada ensures all its customers have a secure and reliable connection onboard with their fleet-wide wifi service. There hasn’t been any reported case of data theft or security breach. All transactions are also encrypted, so you don’t have to worry about any confidential information being shared without your permission.

Q: How can I access airline wifi without paying?

A: Unfortunately, you cannot access Air Canada’s Wifi without paying. However, certain promotional offers may be available, so it is always best to check with the airline before your flight. Also, some people try to hack into Air Canada’s wifi by using a VPN, but this is not recommended as it is against Air Canada’s policy and is punishable by law.

Please check back soon for other Wifi or internet service-related guides for specific airlines such as Alaska, Air India, Emirates, Air Europa, and more.

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