Tis’ the season for goodwill and generosity, and Air Canada is ready to do its part.
The Star Alliance member has announced it will offer “free streaming-quality Wi-Fi, sponsored by Bell” to Aeroplan members flying within North American and Sun markets starting in May 2025. It will expand the offering to long-haul international routes in 2026.
And, lo, the carrier’s Q400 turboprops will be fitted with inflight connectivity and support the same ‘free access’ model.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan members are already accustomed to Bell-sponsored free messaging.
But the promise of fast, free Wi-Fi across Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and “most Air Canada Express” aircraft is welcome news indeed — perhaps especially to those who regularly fly Air Canada’s regional jets which currently carry legacy air-to-ground hardware but are in line to be fitted with Intelsat’s multi-orbit electronically steered antenna (ESA) solution.
Runway Girl Network readers are no doubt wondering whether Air Canada is staying the course with its current IFC systems and IFC provider, Intelsat, to make this complimentary service a reality for passengers. The answer, according to Intelsat, is yes.
“Intelsat has 2Ku across AC’s existing fleet and will power the free service when it starts next year,” an Intelsat spokesman confirms. “As we ramp up the ESA multi-orbit installs on the regionals … the service will be free to passengers.”
That ramp up, he says, is slated to begin in January.
As to the Q400s, we await word on whether they too will receive Intelsat IFC (2Ku or the ESA) or indeed another service.
A geostationary (GEO) satellite operator, Intelsat holds a distribution partnership with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb. Its 2Ku solution is supported by GEO service whilst its ESA solution is supported by multi-orbit GEO/LEO service.
Mark Nasr, who serves as executive vice president, marketing and digital, and president of Aeroplan at Air Canada, in a statement says: “Air Canada plans to offer fast, free Wi-Fi across its entire fleet and will begin rolling out this service in early Spring. What’s more, over 85% of aircraft will be connected from day one, with the remaining installations being a priority throughout 2025.”
Air Canada competes head-on with WestJet, which offers Panasonic Avionics IFC at present but is pivoting to SpaceX Starlink to support free Wi-Fi for its loyalty members. It also competes with Porter Airlines on certain routes; free Wi-Fi for loyalty members is available on Porter’s Embraer E2s with Viasat IFC. Porter’s Q400s remain disconnected…at least for now.
“Reliable access to streaming-quality Wi-Fi is becoming essential for both business and leisure travellers. That’s why we’re upgrading our fleet with the latest technologies,” says Air Canada’s Nasr.
“We’re excited to offer fast, free Wi-Fi to all Aeroplan members, with a customer-focused rollout plan that includes installation of service on our Air Canada Express Q400s, including those that fly from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport. Although other Canadian airlines have announced free Wi-Fi services, not all have accelerated installation across their fleets or committed to offering the service comprehensively.”
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Featured image of Air Canada Rouge jet credited to Lyrik Alkema
