CONVERGENCE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016

Staying
connected at
35,000 feet
Free in-flight WiFi is still
a rarity among airlines
worldwide. But, there are
several airlines offering them.
Can you name them?
There's nothing more important these
days than having a proper internet
connection even if you're flying 35,000
feet up in the air.
But just as important is the price we will
have to pay for a decent connection.
American Airlines charges USD50 for a
monthly pass on all its domestic flights
while Qatar Airways offers passengers a
flat rate of USD20 for the whole journey
if you're a heavy user and hourly rates
are unsuitable.
However, there are also airlines that offer
free in-flight WiFi. Most of these airlines
offer free WiFi, but there's a catch
involved. More often than not, the free
WiFi is only available for a certain amount
of time or it may only be used for limited
purposes such as accessing e-mails and
texting via social messaging apps.
Some of the airlines that offer such
services and more are Emirates, JetBlue,
Norwegian, Turkish Airlines, Air China,
Philippine Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines
and Nok Air.
Budget airlines Norwegian and JetBlue
are two of the few which offer free WiFi
for every passenger on board, although
Norwegian's free service is limited to
flights within Europe and between the
US and Caribbean.
Some airlines are allowing travellers to
redeem their frequent flyer miles for WiFi
access. United Airlines recently became
the first US carrier to do so, although it
was reported that the option won't be
offered on all domestic and international
routes till 2017.
AirAsia Celebrates
Rajinikanth's 'Kabali'!
"When Rajinikanth goes through airport Immigration, the
Immigration officers show him their passport."
Here's another one. "Rajinikanth once wrote a cheque, the
bank bounced." You might be cringing at these slightly
resembling Chuck Norris memes but such is the power,
presence and fame surrounding the 65 year old Indian actor
dubbed the 'Super Star' of the South Indian film industry.
Also, how many individuals can lay claim to having their face
on an aircraft?
Airlines
AirAsia India Chief Executive Officer, Amar Abrol was reported
to have said, "When we decided to be the official airline partner
of Kabali, we thought why not go that extra mile and dedicate
a plane to the stalwart of Indian cinema, Rajinikanth? It made
sense to do it with an aircraft that flies in India, so as to create
maximum visibility among the Indian audience. Only a superstar
like him calls for a dedication of this sort. Never in the history
of Indian cinema has this been done for any other star. This is
AirAsia's way of paying tribute to the 'Thalaivar' (leader) and
his fans across the globe."
The special flight which flew on July 22 from Bangalore to
Chennai saw passengers receiving special Rajini glasses and
shawls as well as a special in-flight breakfast comprising some
of the Superstar's favourite dishes on the flight.
Package tickets priced at INR7,860 (approximately USD118)
were sold out within two hours post-announcement. The
package included a special screening of the movie at a theatre
in Chennai, return flight, on-ground transport in Chennai,
special breakfast and lunch on board, interesting merchandise
giveaways such as Kabali-branded T-shirts, AirAsia and Kabalibranded
mugs and 3D Kabali posters.
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