Passengers on Alaska Airlines can now enjoy free inflight access to three popular messaging apps – iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Alaska passengers will be able to use their smartphones to chat for free. Rather than buying in-flight internet, passengers on Alaska’s GoGo WiFi-equipped planes can access the Wi-Fi to use iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
To access the chat apps without paying for standard Internet access, passengers must first connect to Gogo and select the free option.
Gogo service is available on Alaska Air’s Embraer 175 jets and all but six of the airline’s Boeing 737 fleet.
The new service, called Free Chat, is in beta with full functionality deploying Jan. 24.
Free Chat is the first of a variety of new in-flight products Alaska is rolling out in 2017. In addition to a brand-new Premium Class service that launched this week, Alaska is introducing a number of enhancements which passengers can enjoy from any class of service. Additional new amenities launching this month:
- Free movies through March: Alaska is offering free, unlimited access to its entire catalog of entertainment available to stream on passengers devices, including Hollywood movies and popular TV shows through March 31, 2017.
- Upgraded food and beverage options: Later this month, passengers will begin to see new food and drink options on the snack and beverage cart when they travel.
- Premium Class: Alaska’s new class of service debuts this week on select routes. In addition to four extra inches of legroom, passengers seated in Premium Class enjoy early boarding and complimentary snacks and alcoholic beverages. More than 40 percent of Alaska’s fleet has been retrofitted with the new section, and by year-end, more than 90 percent will feature this new class of service.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million customers a year to more than 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba.
N.B. Image credit: Alaska Airlines
