OPINION : fly transatlantic is enough of an ordeal without the cheapskate Wi - Fi policies from Virgin Atlantic , the Fagin of the skies .
Technology is awe-inspiring , is n’t it ? you may be 40,000 feet above an ocean and keep up with the blossom drama of the Tory leading contest via live online reportage and social media , before finally start the hand brake door and blissfully fling yourself into the abyss without a parachute .
All joking aside , as a frequent transatlantic flyer , I ’m so grateful for in - flight of stairs Wi - Fi . I can continue working , in most event , with a few minor drawbacks that I can get around . On rarified occasions , I ’ve been capable to muster enough bandwidth to stream some live sports consequence I just did n’t need to miss .
However , yesterday ’s experience with Virgin Atlantic ’s flight from Heathrow to Miami proved just how far we have to go . For this flight of stairs , the airline ’s Wi - Fi Max plan is advertise as the power to take the post with you on the plane . It costs £ 29.99 and offers you “ whole flight of steps ” access .
That ’s really quite expensive and the damage seem to be going up and up ( I usually make up £ 20-£25 at most ) lately .
For some masses , £ 30 is the price of a month of high-pitched - speed home broadband . However , this a long suit service and a necessary evil at time . It means I do n’t ravage more yearly leave on travelling day . Might as well shape , despite having to keep your elbows immobilise to your side in the ‘ jabroni class ’ rear . What else is there to do ?
That ’s all well and in force until the airline ’s Fair Usage Policy kicks in . For the £ 30 Wi - Fi Max package , it ’s just 500 MB . Half a lance to last or so nine 60 minutes of your “ whole flight . ” If you pay £ 3 for the message tariff , you get 20 MB . That ’s what you call an Unfair Usage Policy , mate . I nearly choke on my good afternoon High Tea !
I began my news program shift forTrusted Reviewson Tuesday acknowledge I ’d have to ration out that data like it was World War 2 tin pilchards to make it through . After an 60 minutes I ’m down to 350 MB and amaze worried . I was an in - flight Oliver Twist , beg the airline : “ Please Sir , can I have some more ? ”
I did n’t stream any television and I was n’t browse data - heavy social media . I was only access email , shop my RSS feed and society web log , before writing and uploading tech news program with the odd image .
I made it through , just about . I remove publish on my final story of the shift as the meter beat to zero . You ’d think you ’d get another 50 MB on the household to attach up the unaffixed ends ? No , the present moment your whole flight allowance expires , you ’re call for to grease one’s palms another strait beyond your whole escape Wi - Fi . Had I been working a full day , accessing everything I involve , I could easily have spent £ 120 on a mean 2 GB of information , like it was 2007 .
I ’ve never been capped by an airline in this way before and am furious about it . Usually , if you corrupt whole flight Wi - Fi , that ’s what you get . The only elbow room Virgin ’s policy is suitable for ‘ taking the office with you ’ is if you work in HR and literally do n’t do anything but make other people ’s life heavily . I could just walk around the plane launch pointless probe into people ’s seat back place and socks - off choices .
It ’s unacceptable for Virgin Atlantic and its partner Panasonic Avionics to haul the great unwashed over the coals like this . In - flight Wi - Fi is practically omnipresent on longer escape these days , yet the value put up by the religious service is move down .
The pep pill maxed out at about 5Mbps , the connection did n’t support Slack , meaning I was n’t capable to get at of import news program assemblage creature , or communicate with my team . If you apply a messaging service , double and videos are n’t supported .
Considering the Virgin Group also possess a broadband and mobile empire in the UK , which prioritises high-pitched velocity and unlimited datum role , it should perfectly get it on better than to rip masses off like this .
It ’s unfair on travellers who necessitate to carry through their obligations while in the breeze , who have no choice but to spend most of their day ’s lucre on reach the internet .
