A handful of Australian telcos now offer in-flight roaming for when you're 20,000ft in the air but still need to use your mobile plan.
Here's what you need to know.
What is in-flight roaming?
While roaming overseas is powered by overseas mobile network towers, in-flight roaming works via satellite. Australian mobile providers that offer in-flight roaming partner with AeroMobile, a telco that specialises in delivering cellular connectivity to planes.
You shouldn't expect 4G or 5G speeds, but something closer to 3G download and upload speeds. Think between 1Mbps and 20Mbps, instead. You can also send texts and make calls. It's another option in your toolkit if your airline doesn't have free in-flight WiFi, or in the case that it does, it may be very expensive.
Providers that offer in-flight roaming
Providers that offer in-flight roaming with AeroMobile will typically list it as a roaming destination in a particular zone. Here's a provider-by-provider breakdown.
In-flight roaming with Vodafone
AeroMobile is available as part of Vodafone's $5 roaming offer. The $5 add-on allows Vodafone postpaid customers to call, text and use their included data allowance for 24 hours.
Here are Vodafone's plans eligible for use with in-flight roaming:
|
Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
Vodafone
$68 Medium SIM Only Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
|
|
Vodafone
$78 Large SIM Only Plan
$55.00/mth
Min. cost $55
|
One thing to be aware of is $5 roaming anywhere is only available with your Vodafone plan up to 90 days per calendar year. Once you've gone past 90 days you'll need to pay more expensive pay-as-you-go roaming rates.
In-flight roaming with Optus
Similar to Vodafone, Optus has a $5 per day roaming add-on for its postpaid customers. This gets you 5GB of data for roaming in Zone 1 destinations (including AeroMobile) for a 24-hour period.
Optus' prepaid customers need to purchase one of the following roaming packs to use in-flight roaming:
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day expiry | $5 | 25 mins, 50 texts, 1GB |
| 14-day expiry | $25 | 50 mins, 50 texts, 5GB |
| 28-day expiry | $45 | 100 mins, 100 texts, 10GB |
| 186-day expiry | $75 | 100 mins, 100 texts, 15GB |
Here's a look at Optus' plans eligible for in-flight roaming:
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
|
|
Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
|
In-flight roaming with amaysim
Prepaid provider amaysim offers its own range of roaming add-ons, which are all valid for 365 days:
| Pack | Price | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Small Talk | $20 | 100 mins, 100 texts, no data |
| The Works | $25 | 50 mins, 30 texts, 2GB |
| Just Gigs | $50 | No mins, no texts, 6GB |
| The Epic | $70 | 100 mins, 60 texts, 9GB |
AeroMobile is one of the 120 "destinations" on offer from amaysim. Here's a look at amaysim's prepaid plans you can use with an add-on for in-flight roaming:
|
amaysim
7-day UNLIMITED 10GB Plan
$10.00
Per 7 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 15GB Plan
$30.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 42GB Plan
$35.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 80GB Plan
$40.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 95GB Plan
$45.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 120GB Plan
$50.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 150GB Long Expiry
$150.00
Per 184 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 240GB Long Expiry
$199.00
Per 365 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 200GB Long Expiry
$270.00
Per 365 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
amaysim
UNLIMITED 350GB Long Expiry
$350.00
Per 365 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
In-flight roaming with Aussie Broadband
Aussie is another telco offering roaming for $5 per day. You'll get 5GB of data to use for 24 hours in any Zone 1 destination, including AeroMobile's in-flight roaming.
Here are Aussie's plans you can use with in-flight roaming:
|
Aussie Broadband
Saver 5G SIM Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $30
Link not supplied
|
|
Aussie Broadband
Value 5G SIM Plan
$40.00/mth
Min. cost $40
Link not supplied
|
|
Aussie Broadband
Essential 5G SIM Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
Link not supplied
|
|
Aussie Broadband
Premium 5G SIM Plan
$60.00/mth
Min. cost $60
Link not supplied
|
How to setup in-flight roaming
The exact setup process may vary based on your telco and/or device, so it's a good idea to refer back to specific instructions. Here's an overview of how in-flight roaming works.
- Sign up to a plan that's eligible for use with in-flight roaming. Telcos might exclude or have different rules for select plans
- Purchase your in-flight roaming add-on (if needed)
- Before boarding, make sure international roaming is turned on in your telco's app and that your specific add-on has been activated
- Once you're in the air and the pilot enables in-flight roaming, you can toggle off airplane mode. If you don't turn off airplane mode, you won't access in-flight roaming
- Remember to deactivate roaming once you arrive if your destination if you're switching to a local SIM or travel eSIM
If you haven't used up your roaming data allowance on the flight and you land in another Zone 1 destination, most telcos will let you keep using that allowance for the remaining 24-hour period. If you're going to a destination outside of the same zone as AeroMobile, you may automatically switch to different roaming rates, which can vary by telco and location.
Which airlines offer in-flight roaming?
As powered by AeroMobile, the airlines that support in-flight roaming currently include:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Belgium
- Asiana Airlines
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Egyptair
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air
- ITA Airways
- Kuwait Airways
- Kuwait Airways
- Lufthansa
- Malaysia Airlines
- SAS Scandinavian Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
- Uzbekistan Airways
What if my provider doesn't offer in-flight roaming?
Keeping connected while 20,000ft above sea-level is no easy feat. AeroMobile in-flight roaming works with special equipment installed on partner airlines. If you don't have in-flight roaming your phone simply won't be able to connect, or stay-connected long enough to any cell towers you're hurtling over on the ground.
Of course you can still pay for a particular airlines WiFi service it just may be more expensive. For example, Emirates charges between USD$9.99 and USD$19.99 for in-flight WiFi depending on the length of the trip.
Dylan Crismale
Digital Content Editor
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