Everything You Need to Know About Gogo Inflight Internet
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Whether you travel in first, business, or economy class, having Wi-Fi access on your flight would probably make it more enjoyable. This can be particularly important on transcontinental flights and long international flights.
Some just want to be able to talk with friends or browse the web, while others are traveling for work; either way, having Wi-Fi inflight could make their lives much easier.
Whether you’re looking for some entertainment or trying to finish a project, Gogo inflight Wi-Fi could be an important part of your flying experience.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
What Is Gogo?
Gogo is an inflight broadband Wi-Fi provider that serves around 20 airlines and is installed on roughly 2,500 planes.
The Gogo inflight network allows travelers to access the internet to respond to emails, read the news, and much more.
What Airlines Use Gogo?
Airlines from around the world utilize Gogo to provide Wi-Fi access for their passengers.
| Airlines Supported by Gogo | ||
| Air Canada (and Rouge) | Cathay Pacific | KLM |
| Air France | Delta Air Lines | LATAM |
| Alaska Airlines | Gol Airlines | Level |
| American Airlines | Iberia | United Airlines |
| British Airways | Japan Airlines | Virgin Atlantic |
| Cathay Dragon | JTA | Virgin Australia |
How Reliable Is Their Wi-Fi?
The Gogo inflight network has improved significantly since it was first launched on commercial aircraft nearly 10 years ago.
That being said, Wi-Fi speeds remain inconsistent since many planes are still outfitted with air-to-ground (ATG) systems. This is significantly slower than Gogo’s newer satellite system.
On planes using the older ATG systems, load speeds can become frustratingly slow if most people on your flight decide to use Wi-Fi. Since T-Mobile partners with Gogo to provide its customers 1 hour of Wi-Fi for free, this can result in what amounts to a traffic jam on the inflight network.
As Gogo rolls out its newest product, a satellite system known as 2Ku, we hope to see better speed and reliability across the board. Around 600 airplanes have been fitted with Gogo 2Ku so far, with another 1,400 awaiting the upgrade.
Gogo’s older system does not cover the entire globe, and when on a long-haul flight, there’s a good chance you’ll cross through a dead zone at some point and lose Wi-Fi.
With Gogo 2Ku satellite Wi-Fi, the network will be vastly improved covering much of the world, as you can see from the map above.
Can You Stream Video Inflight?
Unfortunately, if your flight is utilizing the ATG system, it is not possible to stream video. There is good news, though! The newer 2Ku satellite system does support video.
Hopefully, this means we will be able to stream videos of our choosing soon!
How Much Does Gogo Cost?
For participating airlines, Gogo allows you to purchase hourly and day internet passes and plans prior to flights. If you forget to do so before your flight, you can still purchase a pass inflight (although it may be more expensive).
Currently, 4 of Gogo’s airline partners participate in these passes: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
| Gogo Passes | Valid Airlines | |
| 1-hour pass | $7 | Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines |
| All-day pass | $19 | Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines |
| Delta global day pass | $28 | Delta Air Lines |
If you travel on a regular basis, you might be better off purchasing one of their subscription plans. Gogo offers 4 different plans and in addition to the 4 previously mentioned airlines, American Airlines also participates in some of these subscription plans.
| Gogo Subscription Plans | Valid Airlines | |
| Monthly airline plan | $49.95 per month | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines |
| 2-device plan | $59.95 per month | American Airlines and Delta Air Lines |
| Global Delta plan | $69.95 per month | Delta Air Lines |
| Annual airline plan | $599.00 per year | Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines |
Make sure you read the details about each plan to ensure it covers your needs. If you have a lot of upcoming domestic travel, a global plan might not be necessary. If you will be traveling internationally, though, a global plan would be vital.
How Do I Get Free Wi-Fi When Flying?
As you can see from Gogo’s pricing plans above, inflight Wi-Fi is not cheap. Fortunately, there are a few credit cards that provide Gogo Wi-Fi passes as part of their perks, valid on domestic and international flights.
| Credit Card | Number of free Gogo passes | Credit card annual fee |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | 10 | $595 (see rates & fees) |
| U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card | 12 | $400 |
| UBS Visa Infinite credit card | 12 | $495 |
| Crystal® Visa Infinite® | 12 | $400 |
Even if you will need more Gogo Wi-Fi passes, knocking out some of the cost is a great benefit from these cards!
The Amex Business Platinum also provides access to Boingo hotspots in many airports if you need Wi-Fi while waiting for a flight.
Hot Tip: Want to learn more about how inflight wi-fi works? Check out our article Airplane Wi-fi — How It Works, Airline Availability, Fees, & More.
Is Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi Worth It?
Whether purchasing Gogo’s inflight Wi-Fi is worth it to you will be determined by several factors.
Business travelers with tight deadlines might find internet access a must on all flights. However, leisure travelers on short flights might see the price and decide they’d be happy to read a book instead.
Final Thoughts
At this point, almost all travelers expect access to an inflight Wi-Fi network. Gogo continues to roll out a better product, but it’s not cheap.
However, staying connected to the world outside their plane can be valuable to travelers of all sorts. Don’t forget that some credit cards like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express provide internet passes that can help with the cost!
Gogo Inflight has to be the worst service in any industry on the planet. Consistently and persistently slow or frozen, repeated dropped connections. If they were honest, they would shut it down or at least run banners that you are going to be wasting your money and time. Every penny spent on Gogo Inflight is $10 too much!
Hey Christopher – thank you for sharing your experiences with GoGo Inflight…and sorry to hear that they cause you so many issues. Hopefully they will continue to improve as there’s definitely competition around.
With United Wifi my experience is that Gogo does not work on most of their planes when there is the United wifi. Has this changed? Is there a separate plan that covers both?
Hey Idplatt,
The way it works is United has several Wi-Fi providers and it depends on the coverage network, airplane, and routes you’re flying on. Some that come to mind are Gogo, Panasonic, ViaSat, OnAir, and Thales. The only way to get coverage for all of United’s providers is to purchase a Wi-Fi subscription from United Airlines.
Find out more here:
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/subscription/wifi
I recently canceled my Business Platinum Amex card and it looks like they clawed back my gogo flight passes, very disappointing.
It would seem, from various sources, that this [unlimited] Gogo inflight Wifi is only a privilege for Apple users. Way to screw everyone else AA.