No Wi-Fi on your flight? How to check, and what still works offline
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Many flights still have no Wi-Fi, especially short flights and low-cost airlines. Even when a plane has it, it's often paid, limited to messaging, only on some aircraft, or not working that day. Your phone can still do a lot in airplane mode, as long as you prepare it before you board.
How to find out if your flight has Wi-Fi
- Check your airline's website. Look for the page about services or entertainment on board. It usually says which aircraft have Wi-Fi, what it costs and whether it's free for members.
- Look at your booking. Some booking pages show a Wi-Fi symbol for the flight or the aircraft type. Newer aircraft are more likely to be connected, but the same route can be flown by different aircraft on different days.
- Don't count on it. Wi-Fi can be switched off over some countries, sold out of capacity, or simply not working. Plan as if there will be none.
Across Europe, having a mobile or data connection on board depends on the aircraft being fitted with its own network equipment. Rules come from each airline, and crew instructions always apply. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's advice is to assume you can't use a device's wireless connection unless you're told otherwise.
The onboard network that isn't the internet
Some aircraft have a local Wi-Fi network that works without internet. You can connect your phone to it to watch films, read, or follow a flight map provided by the airline, without buying a Wi-Fi package. The crew or the seat-pocket card usually explains how to join it. If there's no such network, everything you want to use has to be on your phone before takeoff.
What to prepare before you board
- Travel documents. Save your boarding pass, hotel booking and any arrival forms so they open without a connection.
- Your flight. Add it to a flight app that works offline and let it save the map. FlyingOver saves your route and an offline map while you still have internet, then shows the plane's estimated position during the flight. See how to track your flight without Wi-Fi.
- Maps of your destination. Save the area around your arrival airport and your accommodation in your map app, for when you land.
- Things to watch, read and listen to. Download films, series, music, podcasts and books. Streaming won't work.
- Battery. Charge your phone and bring a power bank if your airline allows it. Many aircraft have no power outlets.
- Tell people how to follow you. Share a link to your flight before you board, so family or whoever is picking you up can see where you are and when you'll land.
What works in airplane mode, and what doesn't
| Works without a connection | Needs a connection |
|---|---|
| Anything downloaded: films, music, books, documents | Messages, calls and email |
| Saved maps, and your flight in an offline flight app | Live flight-tracking apps and websites |
| Camera, notes, games that don't need the internet | Streaming and social media |
| Your flight's estimated progress, if saved before takeoff | Gate or delay changes announced after you board |
When you land
As soon as you switch off airplane mode on the ground, your phone catches up: messages arrive, and your flight app can show the latest arrival details, such as the gate or baggage belt, if the airport has published them. If you have a connecting flight, check it straight away.
Want to know what's outside the window while you're offline? Read What am I flying over?.
Sources
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency, electronic devices on board (26 September 2014): Each airline decides whether and when passengers can use electronic devices and connectivity, and crew instructions always apply. (September 16, 2026)
- European Commission, 5G on planes (24 November 2022): Mobile and data service on board works only on aircraft fitted with special on-board network equipment. (September 16, 2026)
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1066 In Focus, Flying with gadgets (2014): Passengers should assume they cannot use a device's wireless connectivity unless the airline tells them otherwise. (September 16, 2026)
Related guides
- How to track your flight without Wi-FiWhy live flight trackers stop updating on board, the two ways offline flight tracking works, and how to set it up before you board.
- Does GPS work in airplane mode on a plane?What airplane mode actually switches off, why your phone struggles to find GPS in the cabin, and how to follow your flight without it.
- What am I flying over? How to tell from the planeHow high planes fly, how far you can see from the window, and how to recognise the cities, coasts and lakes below you, even without Wi-Fi.