I will be flying to Australia in a couple of weeks. When I purchased my business class tickets I added wifi for both directions. I’ve never done that before, but I decided that since the flights were so long I might like having it. Three months after I booked the flight I received an email from United that they were refunding what I paid for the wifi both to and from Australia. I did not request a refund. Why the refund ? I checked the United website and I don’t see anywhere that wifi is included in a business class ticket. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Thank you!
Posted by
Portsmouth
5604 posts
Perhaps the aircraft has been changed to one that doesn't have wi-fi.
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
1032 posts
Contact United?
Posted by
118 posts
Hello,
Take a look at this article I pulled from The Points Guy:
The next generation of inflight Wi-Fi is almost ready for takeoff aboard United Airlines.
The Chicago-based carrier announced last year that it would equip its entire fleet with high-speed Starlink satellite Wi-Fi.
The best part? Connectivity will be free. All you'll need is a MileagePlus account to access the internet on as many devices as you can carry on board.
That may not explain your flight because the article goes on to say it will first be implemented on short flights. Just thought I'd share this bit of information.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6879 posts
United said they will BEGIN installing starlink satellite wifi THIS SPRING. That means they probably haven't really done a lot of installations yet ("Spring" starts in a couple of weeks). And the first batch of planes to get it will be regional jets serving domestic routes. Your plane certainly will not have the new wifi systems by the time you board it. The wide-body long-haul jets used for trans-Pacific routes are probably not going to get the updated wifi system until late in 2025 and will take a while to roll out (United has a LOT of jets).
United's older system MAY have some coverage across the Pacific but even if you're lucky I'd expect it to probably be very spotty and slow if you can get a signal at all. There's a lot of water between the US and Australia and no ground-based wifi stations, so I would calibrate my expectations (and load up an iPad or bring a book).
United is moving to providing free wifi to members of its frequent flyer program, so if you're a member, that would be an explanation for the refund (how long ago did you book your ticket? If it was months ago, that would explain the disconnect between charging you for wifi and their new policy goal).
In any case, I would not count on much (or any) wifi availability on your flight. It's a big planet, and your flight goes straight across the emptiest part of it.
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10813 posts
Thanks everyone. I purchased my ticket on 8/4/24 and the cost of the wifi was refunded on 11/22/24. I am a frequent flyer member. I won’t expect any wifi and it will just be like every other overseas trip I’ve had, I’ll just be crossing a different ocean.