Previously, when flying on an airplane, passengers are typically asked to turn off their devices or put them in “airplane mode”. The reason for that is because it could interfere with one or more of an aircraft’s important systems, such as sensors that help the aircraft’s instruments communicate with one another, navigation equipment, collision-avoidance equipment, and other forms of avionics.
While it has never been proven that a mobile phone signal has interfered with the navigation performance of the aircraft, it is better to err on the side of caution. But with this new tech, you can keep your devices on for the entire flight duration.
The Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) in a statement said passengers traveling on Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and MASwings, will no longer be asked to power off their devices during flights starting 1 July 2023.
This change is made possible by a new feature called Gate-to-Gate connectivity, for which MAG has received regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). Passengers can now remain connected on their personal or portable electronic devices (PEDs) such as mobile phones and tablets throughout the entire flight by activating flight mode. In the past, the requirement to switch off PEDs during takeoff and landing was mandated by regulations and aircraft specifications.
MAG announced that all business suite, business class, and Enrich platinum members will receive complimentary WiFi on Malaysia Airlines from 1 July until 31 December 2023, available on 20 WiFi-equipped aircraft. However, these users will be limited to a 100MB data cap per flight segment and a speed of 512kbps. Other passengers can purchase an MHConnect data plan to access in-flight WiFi, with prices starting from USD2 (RM9) for 10MB of data.
Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, CEO of Airlines from MAG, expressed plans to expand in-flight connectivity to more customers as part of their connectivity strategy. The company aims to provide an enhanced in-flight experience by investing in innovative technologies and services.
