Unfortunately the last thing most of us are doing at the moment or any time soon is taking a Singapore Airlines flight, given the limited schedules and travel restrictions in force due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing you can now look forward to the next time you travel with SIA is a small but potentially useful free on board Wi-Fi allowance, with the airline extending its basic 30MB / 2 hours access package to all KrisFlyer members, regardless of your status level within the programme.
New complimentary allowances
Previously only those in Suites and Business Class, or PPS Club members and their supplementary cardholders flying in any cabin class, were entitled to a complimentary connection package.
From 1st September 2020, this has been extended to KrisFlyer members too.
Effectively the free allowance is only useful if you’re travelling in Economy or Premium Economy, since you’ll be entitled to a complimentary Wi-Fi package whenever flying in Business Class or above on Singapore Airlines regardless of your frequent flyer status.
This new benefit for KrisFlyer members will only apply on aircraft with the newer Wi-Fi systems installed.
Free Wi-Fi allowance (newer systems)
| Aircraft: | 787-10 (all) 777-300ER (all except 9V-SWB, SWF, SWG, SWH, SWN, SWT) A350 (all) A380 (9V-SKN and -SKS to SKZ) |
||
| Class | Not KF/PPS | KrisFlyer | PPS Club* |
| Suites / First | Unlimited | ||
| Business | 100MB | ||
| Premium / Economy | None | 30MB | 100MB |
* includes supplementary PPS Club cardholders
If you’re flying on an aircraft with the older Wi-Fi systems, the complimentary allowances drop by both cabin class and for PPS Club members. KrisFlyer members don’t get any free data on these flights when flying in Economy or Premium Economy.
Free Wi-Fi allowance (older systems)
| Aircraft: | 777-300ER (9V-SWB, -SWF, SWG, SWH, SWN, SWT) A380 (9V-SKF to -SKM and -SKP to SKR) |
||
| Class | Not KF/PPS | KrisFlyer | PPS Club* |
| Suites / First | 100MB | ||
| Business | 30MB | ||
| Premium / Economy | None | 30MB | |
* includes supplementary PPS Club cardholders
How much are you saving?
Not much! Last year Singapore Airlines harmonised the pricing for its in-flight Wi-Fi and what they are offering here is their cheapest ‘Chat’ package, at US$3.99, which maxes out at 30MB usage or 2 hours (whichever occurs first).
This will be good for basic text messaging / WhatsApp, however if you use it for much else including web browsing it will probably be gone in minutes.
Once your free allowance has expired, you can purchase additional data at the following rates:
| Plan | Price |
| Chat (30MB) Valid for 2 hours only |
US$3.99 |
| Pro (100MB) Full flight |
US$9.99 |
| Premium (200MB) Full flight |
US$15.99 |
How to obtain your free allowance
It’s free to join KrisFlyer, so if you’re flying in Economy Class on an aircraft with the newer Wi-Fi system there’s no harm in signing up beforehand to get the 30MB / 2 hour complimentary package, even if you won’t really use the membership for anything else.
In order to take advantage follow these steps:
- Add membership details: Enter your PPS Club or KrisFlyer details when you book your flight, via Manage Booking, or at the airport on check-in.
- Connect to ‘KrisWorld’: Once on board, connect to the ‘KrisWorld’ Wi-Fi network on your device while in flight mode.
- Claim complimentary access: Visit www.singaporeair-krisworld.com on your browser, select ‘Complimentary Access’ and fill out the details.
Allowances don’t ‘stack’
Complimentary data allowances don’t ‘stack’ with cabin class allowances, so for example a KrisFlyer member travelling on a Boeing 787-10 in Business Class gets the usual 100MB allowance for that cabin, not 130MB.
In other words KrisFlyer and PPS Club members get no additional recognition in the form of Wi-Fi allowance when flying in Business or First Class over and above non-members in the same cabin.
Note also the allowances are per flight sector. For example, if you’re flying from Singapore to San Francisco via Hong Kong on SQ2, you’ll be entitled to the applicable free allowance on both the first and second flight sectors.
On the flip side if you purchase a Wi-Fi package on the first flight, you won’t be able to use it on the second flight even if there is data remaining.
Only new Wi-Fi systems are currently flying
Good news if you are travelling with Singapore Airlines at the moment or for the foreseeable few months is that only Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft are being used for passenger flights, meaning it’s always the newer Wi-Fi systems on board.
In addition, it means in-flight Wi-Fi is currently guaranteed on Singapore Airlines flights, subject to system serviceability (occasionally it’s not working).
More good news is that even as Singapore Airlines brings its fleet back into service in a post-COVID-19 recovery, older types without Wi-Fi will not be returning, including all Airbus A330s, Boeing 777-200s and Boeing 777-200ERs.
In theory, only the remaining four Boeing 777-300s (non-ER variants) may still be flying passenger flights without Wi-Fi functionality in future, though the likelihood of them remaining in the fleet long-term is low.
Singapore Airlines has also primed the market for big write-downs on its older aircraft, including Airbus A380s, so many of the older (and slower) systems with limited free connectivity should be on the way out anyway, since some aircraft have no realistic prospect of return to service.
Summary
We certainly don’t begrudge being offered anything for free, however US$3.99 was probably never going to break the bank if you needed to send a couple of urgent messages on board a Singapore Airlines flight, send a quick email, or check something online.
Nonetheless it’s nice to see some recognition for KrisFlyer members with this new perk. We think the biggest benefit will be not having to go to the hassle of getting your credit card out to go online for something simple.
Good news at the moment is that all Singapore Airlines aircraft in passenger service have the newer Wi-Fi system installed, with most of the older jets still in storage or flying cargo only services.
Be sure to bookmark our full guide to in-flight Wi-Fi on Singapore Airlines. We keep it regularly updated as aircraft are refitted with the latest systems, so it’s a good resource to check before your next SIA flight.
(Cover Photo: Singapore Airlines)
Quick question: Is the allowance for business and above for the full flight (regardless of aircraft type) without a time limit? I seem to recall it was but I could be mistaken.
Yes correct there are no more time-based packages (except you have to use up the Chat package within 2h).