PETALING JAYA: Passengers onboard Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) airlines will no longer be required to turn off their electronic devices starting July 1 due to a new feature called Gate-to-Gate connectivity.
MAG in a statement on June 27 said the airline has been given regulatory approval by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to enable Gate-to-Gate connectivity for passengers on its airlines namely Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, and MASwings.
It said that passengers can stay connected on their personal or portable electronic devices (PEDs) such as mobile phones and tablets throughout the journey on air by enabling flight mode.
“Passengers will no longer be required to switch off their PEDs during take-off and landing, as was previously required due to regulatory and aircraft requirements. PEDs include mobile phones, tablets, and other small hand-held devices that are stowable in the passenger’s seat pocket,” MAG said in the statement.
All business suite, business class and Enrich platinum members will receive complimentary WiFi on Malaysia Airlines from July 1 until Dec 31. The offer will be available on 20 aircraft equipped with WiFi.
However, users will be limited to a 100MB data cap per sector and 512kbps speed. Other passengers can purchase a MHConnect data plan for WiFi connectivity on air with the website listing prices as starting from US$2 (RM9) for 10MB data.
Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, chief executive officer of Airlines from MAG, said efforts are underway to extend in-flight connectivity to more customers.
“As part of our connectivity strategy, we will be actively expanding the number of our aircraft equipped with WiFi to provide an improved in-flight experience to our valued customers,” he said, adding that the company will also be investing in innovative technologies and services.
– The Star