How times have changed. Thirty-five years ago, people lived at a much slower pace than these days: mobile phones only existed for a tiny percentage of the population on some of the world’s most developed and advanced countries, and those existing users could just perform the most basic of functions: calling. Now, over 80% of mobile devices have Short Message Service (SMS), and many have Internet services providers.
Internet came, and people’s lives changed completely. The pace of life increased dramatically, people wanted things faster and got results more quickly thanks to the World Wide Web. Wi-Fi, or wireless Internet, became our bread and butter, and people’s needs evolved considerably since that point in time earlier discussed.
Nowadays, some professionals or workers cannot perform their jobs adequately if they are not connected to WiFi or an Internet data service. It does not matter whether they are in a restaurant, in a café, in an airport or even on a plane, flying from one place to another.
As a consequence, airlines are quickly incorporating Wifi technology not only in their waiting rooms and planes but also during their flights. They identified it as a necessity, taking into account the needs of their passengers.
Many of these airlines, most of them in fact, offer WiFi service at a specific cost. It can be per flight, per month or even per year. But you have the possibility, through some useful online tools, to get free WiFi on a plane with VPN.
Internet and Airplanes
Computers first changed the way people saw and used technology. Mobile phones and Internet came later, and it meant new broken paradigms. Every invention brought us closer to where we are today: a phone-needy, computer-obsessed, Internet-based society, so technology-dependent that Wi-Fi on flights became a thing in 2008.
As of today, more than 20 major airlines in the world implement in-flight connectivity to provide its passengers and customers some of the best entertainment options to enjoy the length of their aerial stay.
Delta Airlines is the leading airline when it comes to in-flight connectivity. They now have more than 500 aircraft equipped to offer Wi-Fi service to its customers, by far the most substantial number of active commercial airlines.
Many airlines offer Wi-Fi service, but they set a time limit for their users, especially when they have specific mobile operating services. Said limit is often one hour, which means clients will get disconnected after said timeframe expires. This is because they want you to pay for your in-plane connectivity, and that service can be quite expensive.
How does the system work?
The reasoning behind providers offering Internet services at such high prices is because the infrastructure that needs to be in place to successfully deliver Wi-Fi to all passengers is big and expensive, and can be a drag for aircraft aerodynamics.
Equipment needed to implement Wi-Fi connectivity service in their flights is in several places on the plane. There is an onboard server, and there are Wi-Fi antennas in the fuselage.
Since planes cover a significant amount of distance, they need to switch connections to different towers and satellites during a flight. Gogo, arguably the world’s leading in-flight wifi provider, uses air to ground technology (ATG), and ATG antennas and side antennas are also part of the aircraft.
The towers and satellites provide data to our devices during the flights. Because of all the equipment previously described, Gogo and other companies of its kind charge high fees for their services.
Which airlines offer in-flight internet?
The list of airlines that offer wireless connectivity service is growing by the day. The airlines are:
- American Airlines
- TAP Portugal
- Virgin America
- Virgin Atlantic
- Frontier Airlines
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Iberia
- Vueling Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Air Berlin
- Lufthansa
- Norwegian Air Shuttle
- Swiss International Airlines
- KLM Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Aeromexico
- British Airways
- Air France
- Finnair
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines
- Air Nippon Airways
- Japan Airlines
- China Eastern
- Air China
- Air Canada
- Alaska Air
- Westjet
- TAM
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Qatar Airways
- Etihad
- Qantas
- Philippine Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Emirates
- Saudi Airlines
- Kenya Airways
How to get free WiFi on a plane with VPN
Via a Virtual Private Network, you will be able to forward all traffic you engage into port3128 of Gogo Inflight, which allows Internet access for free. You will not have to accept terms and conditions and sign in.
TorGuard is usually the best VPN service provider out there, but that will depend on what you want to accomplish with your VPN. It has the best stealth of VPN options and some of the best-rated customer service.
To get free WiFi on a plane with VPN, you will need to get the services of a good VPN, like TorGuard or PIA (Private Internet Access). You will also have to get a device able to run the VPN app: usually, Apple powered devices such as a Mac or an iPhone work, as well as Android devices or Personal Computers (PC).
You need to follow some steps to get the job done and get free WiFi on a plane with VPN. These guidelines are:
- Before the plane takes off, obtain the services of a VPN and install it on your device. But wait! There is one caveat: the only VPN provider that allows the user to forward all traffic to a specific port is PIA. You will need this feature because Gogo’s single port available for free browsing is the port3128.
- Connect to the WiFi network.
- Use a free port-scanning app to verify that port3128 is available. Some of the options are Port Scanner or Fing.
- Set up the port forwarding: this is done by opening PIA’s software on your device and going into “Settings.” From there, you just have to change the port to 3128.
- To access the Internet through VPN, go to the main screen of the VPN app and press the “Connect” button.
- Done! You can now browse the web during your six-hour flight. You will have endless hours of entertainment!
Good VPNs for Planes
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Multi-platform Compatible | ||
| 256-AES Encryption | ||
| PRICE | $5 for 1 month with code "best10VPN" | $6.95 a month |
| Website Rating | 9.9 | 8.8 |
| 24/7 Live Chat | ||
| Residential / Dedicated IP for permanent streaming access | ||
| Has Mobile App + PC / Mac Support | ||
| Stealth VPN / Advanced Obfuscation techniques | ||
| Visit VPN Provider | Visit TorGuard | Visit PIA |
How to get free Wifi on a plane without VPN (for iPhones)
If you have an iPhone and don’t want to acquire the services of a Virtual Private Network, you can still get free Wi-Fi while being on a plane. In fact, the process is quite comfortable, and the steps are not that many. You will need to:
- Connect to the GoGo Wifi (in case the airline which you are traveling with offers Gogo Wi-Fi service. The majority of commercial airlines do).
- Go to the GoGo Movie library. It does not matter if you select the free or paid option.
- Click on any movie.
- The system will send you to a page in which you have to download the GoGo app on your device.
- To access the app, you have to enter the Captcha correctly.
- Don’t you dare to close the browser.
- In a new tab, start browsing.
- Done! Now you will retain the authentication cookie and be able to browse for free.
By implementing these steps on your iPhone, you will be able to bypass Gogo infight’s’ Wi-Fi paywall and browse the web with no problem. This advice and guides are just for educational purposes: if you are going actually to perform these methods, do it at your own risk.
Remember: this post is only intended for educational matters. People may need to know they can get free WiFi on a plane. You never know if you need to solve a crisis or critical paperwork for your job.
If you have an iPhone, the process may be more straightforward. But if you don’t, then don’t worry, because you can still connect to WiFi while being on your flight for as long as it lasts with the help of a Virtual Private Network.
