Cathay Pacific expands free Wi-Fi access to Cathay Golds and Premium Economy

Cathay Pacific has been progressively expanding complimentary Wi-Fi access across its cabins over the past few years. First Class customers were the first to enjoy free onboard connectivity in 2022, followed by Business Class and Cathay Diamond members in September and November 2024 respectively.

Now, this benefit has been expanded to Cathay Gold and Premium Economy passengers as well.

Cathay Pacific further expands free Wi-Fi access

Cathay Pacific has now extended complimentary Wi-Fi to Cathay Gold members in any cabin, together with Premium Economy Class passengers of any Cathay tier.

To receive this benefit, a Cathay membership number must be attached to the booking. This means that you must credit any miles earned to the Asia Miles programme. As you may or may not know, Cathay has recently cracked down on so-called FQTS/FQTV splitting, where miles are credited to one programme, but benefits of another programme are accorded.

If you do not enter your Membership number into your booking prior to travelling or remove your Membership number from your booking, you will not be able to access or use your Status Benefits.

You will not be able to remove your Membership number from the booking after you have completed check-in of your flight for which you have entered your Membership number.

-Cathay Pacific

For example, it will not be possible to use a Cathay membership for free Wi-Fi, while enjoying status privileges from a Qatar Privilege Club Platinum account. Basically, you’ll need to choose: free Wi-Fi, or elite benefits and miles crediting to a different programme?

Who else enjoys free Wi-Fi?

The table below summarises Cathay’s current Wi-Fi entitlements. 

If you’re flying in First or Business Class, you will receive free Wi-Fi, regardless of whether or not you’re a Cathay member.

If you’re flying in Premium Economy Class, you will only receive free Wi-Fi if you attach a Cathay membership number (or any tier) to your booking.

If you’re flying in Economy Class, you will only receive free Wi-Fi if you attach a Cathay Diamond or Gold membership number to your booking.

Customers are limited to access on one device at a time, with the option to switch between devices at any time during their flight.

Which Cathay Pacific planes have Wi-Fi?

Cathay Pacific now offers Wi-Fi across its entire fleet, a milestone which was achieved in August 2025.

However, there is a difference in coverage between Airbus A350s and the Boeing 777s, Airbus A330s and A321neos, because of different equipment used. If you believe the complaints online, the A350-900s in particular tend to have the most unstable connectivity due to their older hardware (they were among the first to be outfitted). For what it’s worth, the A350-1000 should be noticeably better.

Cathay says it is hoping to add gate-to-gate connectivity in the future, along with better polar coverage. 

How much does Wi-Fi cost on Cathay Pacific?

If you’re not eligible for free Wi-Fi on Cathay Pacific, you’ll need to pay between US$9.95 to US$24.95 for access, depending on flight duration. 

Conclusion

Cathay Pacific has expanded complimentary Wi-Fi access to Cathay Gold members, as well as Premium Economy passengers with a Cathay membership.

As welcome as this development is, Cathay is really playing catch-up here. Regional rivals like Singapore Airlines already offer free Wi-Fi to all passengers, and Starlink is offering speeds many times faster than Cathay’s current technology. 

So I’m hoping we’ll see free connectivity rolled out to Economy Class in the near future too, as well as improvements in bandwidth.