95% of APAC full-service, long-haul fleets now offer onboard Wi-Fi: Moment Report
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In the region, 19% of legacy airlines now provide fully free Wi-Fi, compared with 13% globally.
Moment’s Inflight Connectivity Report unveils the Asia-Pacific insights highlighting one of the world’s fastest-maturing connectivity markets. According to the report, the APAC region stands out for its high legacy carrier adoption, accelerating free access models, and increasing use of connectivity as a loyalty and yield management lever. It confirms that Wi-Fi has moved beyond optional service to become a strategic pillar of the passenger experience. The study was conducted on a global panel of 106 carriers, including 30 APAC airlines.
According to the report, 95% of full-service and long-haul fleets in APAC are now fully or partially equipped with onboard Wi-Fi, well above the global average of 89%. This result positions APAC as the region with the highest connectivity penetration among traditional airlines.
In contrast, budget carriers still lag significantly behind, with only 33% connected, leaving part of the short- and medium-haul market untapped. The data confirms that connectivity is no longer a premium differentiator in APAC, but a fundamental expectation embedded in the core offering.
Although freemium remains the leading model worldwide, Asia-Pacific stands out for its stronger shift toward free connectivity. In the region, 19% of legacy airlines now provide fully free Wi-Fi, compared with 13% globally. Additionally, 35% of connected APAC airlines offer complimentary messaging, as the global average is 31%, typically pairing free basic access with paid browsing or streaming tiers.
At the same time, carriers across Asia-Pacific are increasingly deploying loyalty-gated strategies, granting full-flight connectivity to premium cabin passengers and frequent-flyer members. As a result, inflight connectivity in APAC is evolving beyond a passenger amenity into a powerful tool for customer acquisition, engagement and retention.
Across the region, airlines are increasingly blending duration-based, usage-based and data-based pricing strategies to build flexible commercial models tailored to diverse passenger profiles. Average pricing reflects this structured approach, with Surf & Stream packages typically ranging from USD 10–12 per hour and USD 22–25 for a full flight.
Most carriers combine duration and usage-based options, enabling them to effectively monetise connectivity while preserving accessible entry points, such as low-cost messaging tiers. This layered pricing architecture illustrates a maturing ecosystem in which airlines strategically balance passenger satisfaction, ancillary revenue generation and loyalty program integration to maximise both engagement and long-term value.
“The Asia-Pacific market is one of the most advanced connectivity ecosystems globally, with airlines demonstrating different stages of digital maturity. Legacy carriers are setting a very high benchmark, with connectivity increasingly embedded into loyalty ecosystems and premium value propositions, whereas regional airlines are leveraging connectivity to strengthen their brand promise and commercial strategy,” explains Tanguy Morel, CEO & co-founder of Moment.
“To address these dynamics, Moment develops its latest solutions beyond traditional in-flight connectivity, delivering modular platforms tailored to the operational complexity, regulatory landscape, and passenger expectations specific to Asia-Pacific,” he added.
