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Qatar Airways is one of my favourite airlines to fly. From my first flight with them in 2022, I have now flown with them countless times between Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Apart from passing through Doha, which is my favourite airport in the world that also have some amazing lounges, another keen selling point of flying with Qatar Airways is their excellent inflight wifi.
As I work online, flying with them and using their wifi means that I don’t have to take a day off work and can work during a long flight which helps pass the time. Most of this review if from the first time I used Qatar Airways wifi on a flight from Casablanca to Doha on a Boeing 777 in 2022 I’ve since used the wifi on other routes and planes all with similar price points and speeds.
Note that Qatar Airways now offers Starlink on some flights and aircraft which I have reviewed here.
Qatar Airways inflight Wi-Fi costs
Before my flight I got an email saying I could use Qatar Airways inflight Wi-Fi if I purchased it before the flights for $8USD (or equivalent in the local currency of your departure airport) if you buy it before your flight. It could also be purchased for $10USD when on board.
A flight rate for flights of variable lengths is fair in my opinion. Even a flight to Sydney which would max out at 14 hours is still the same price.
As I work online and this was technically a day flight, I thought I would try it. It is a lot cheaper than other packages for internet I had seen from other airlines. The $8 lasted the entire 7 hour 30 minute flight from Casablanca to Doha, there was no data limit (as far as I could see) and after reading reviews, I learned that the speeds would be satisfactory for me to get some work done. I could only use one device at a time so if I wanted to go from my laptop to my phone, I would have to log out and then log back in again, but I didn’t see that as an issue.
Using the wifi whilst sitting in the front row of the A380Using Qatar Airways inflight Wi-Fi
After take off and waiting for the fasten seat belt sign to go off, I opened up my laptop and used the code I had been sent to log in to the inflight wifi.
I was surprised at how easy it was to log in and the wifi worked straight away once we reached 10,000 feet. Some countries have regulations that do not allow in flight wifi and would go down when flying over them (India being one of them when flying from Malaysia to Doha), however I didn’t experience any issues at all with connectivity on my flight.
Qatar Airways inflight Wi-Fi speeds
The speeds were good enough to work from although I wouldn’t want to be streaming anything. Web browsing and emails opened quickly. Short YouTube clips were fine to watch though but took a second or two longer to start. Making video or voice calls aren’t allowed on the flight for the comfort of other passengers, but with the long “ping” time, I’m not sure how well this would work anyway. Considering it is using satellite internet, the ping is to be expected but wasn’t noticeable when web browsing.
The speeds I got on the flight
When the two meal services came around I put my laptop away and enjoyed the food. The connection went out just before the second meal service, whether by coincidence or not, so wasn’t too affected. That was the only time of note I couldn’t connect.
On a more recent flight using wifi on an ex Cathay Pacific plane that now flies for Qatar Airways, the speeds were much faster and the wifi worked throughout the entire flight, even over India.
Up to date wifi speeds on Qatar AirwaysThings to note
- The price is only for one flight. If you have a connecting flight you will need to buy another package. I only used this on the Casablanca to Doha sector of my flight, it would have been extra to Sofia. When flying from London to Asia, I have normally worked on one leg of the flight and slept on the other.
- It isn’t available on all flights as only long haul aircraft (Boeing 777, 787-9, 787-8, and Airbus A350 and A380 aircraft) have the option of wifi. If you are desperate for wifi you should check the aircraft before booking. I have taken flights from Doha to Almaty, Sofia and Baghdad have been on short haul aircraft and the wifi was not available.
- I was lucky that I had the seat next to me empty on this flight. I would imagine if you and your seat neighbour had both wanted to work with your laptops out, it may be a bit cramped in the economy seat.
- As you can see from some of the photos, my laptop was a bit bigger than the tray table and I had to have it pulled forward so that I could tilt the screen up for me to see. Bigger laptops may have more of a problem.
- I would only use this if I had to work again as the in flight entertainment if great on Qatar and I can go 7 hours without the internet!
There was still time to enjoy the sunset after I had finished workFinal thoughts
This was my first time using in flight wifi and I was shocked at how good it was for the price. After reading other reviews of airlines that cost more money for a limited amount of data, the unlimited data on Qatar Airways Wi-Fi was a blessing to get some work done. I would consider flying with Qatar again just so I can use their internet package on their flights.
- Review of Aeromexico Connect E190 Business Class (Managua to Mexico City)
- Review of Air France A220 Business Class (Paris to London)
- Review of British Airways 777 Club Suites Business Class (Singapore to London Heathrow)
- Review of Korean Air A321neo Business Class (Bangkok to Seoul)
- Review of Malaysia Airlines A330-300 Business Class
- Review of Malaysia Airlines A350-900 Business Class (Kuala Lumpur to Doha)
- Review of Malaysia Airlines 737 Business Class: Mainstay of Domestic Routes
- Review of Malaysia Airlines 737 International Business Class (Kuala Lumpur to Colombo)
- Review of Qatar Airways Wifi Inflight: Taking Working Remotely to New Heights
- Review of Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class (Doha to Berlin)
- Review of Qatar Airways A320 Business Class (Doha to Almaty)
- Review of Qatar Airways 777 Business Class (Doha to Bangkok on ex-Cathay Aircraft)
- Review of Thai Airways A320 Business Class: Domestic Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
- Review of Vietnam Airlines A321 Business Class: Domestic & International Flights
Find my reviews of the best airport lounges and related airline posts below:
- My top lounge reviews
- Why I Love Working In Airports! Digital Nomad Guide to Airport Working
- One World Sapphire Membership: Why I Value It So Highly!
- Moving from the British Airways Club to Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Reasons Why and How It Went
- Review of Virgin Atlantic Inflight Wifi on their A330
- Review of Starlink Wifi on Qatar Airways
Access lounges with Priority Pass
Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.
