Unlimited wifi access in 30+ Million hotspots on the ground, plus inflight wifi on 3,500+ planes, for $10 per month from US Mobile. This allows access on planes equipped with GoGo and Panasonic wifi.
Is this US Mobile deal too good to be true? Maybe so, but for now, I’m rather pleased with it. This week I had a mix of flights where I was able to test several of these options. Unfortunately, this deal is dead.
I first learned about this from SirSherlockHolmes on Flyertalk, and wanted to try it. For $10/month, I figured it is well worth a test. Many Gogo equipped flights charge at least $20 for a full flight pass, and Panasonic wifi is around $20 for international flights. I maintain a monthly Gogo subscription which is $59, so this is a great deal considering how many more options are included for a drastically lower price.
How does this US Mobile deal work?
The current price is $10, but there are various limited discount codes online. I grabbed one of those and only paid $6, which is good for 30 days after activation. This access works only on a single device where the monthly subscription is activated. Then the US Mobile subscription accesses the iPass network on a monthly basis. Access wifi using iPass credentials, and seemingly the iPass app is required to do so.
Which planes are included in this wifi package?
Basically any flights using Gogo or Panasonic wifi solutions. More details below from iPass:
In North America, most flights equipped with Gogo on Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, and Virgin America are included. Internationally, Panasonic wifi is available on much of Lufthansa and Etihad’s fleets and a few other carriers use this solution as well. This is the solution American uses for their international fleet. All of these are eligible using this plan.
How does US Mobile work in the air?
This week my travels included flights on American, United Express and Air Canada with Gogo. I also had one (domestic) flight on an American 787-9 which has Panasonic satellite wifi. To use this, I activated my account on my laptop before the first flight, downloaded the iPass app and then connection was mostly automatic and smooth. Initially, I tested this using Boingo wifi in the airport, then once onboard it was quick to connect on Gogo once in the air.
Gogo on American and Air Canada was fine, but I couldn’t get it to work on United Express. Some online research seems to show that iPass only works on networks called “Gogo Inflight”. Most United planes have a network called United_Wifi, even if using Gogo equipment as on the United Express fleet. Supposedly United blocks Gogo passes, but I’ve used my monthly subscription recently. Unfortunately, on this flight I couldn’t get either my Gogo or US Mobile subscriptions to work.
Using Panasonic satellite wifi as on American’s international fleet was also pretty easy. Open the iPass app, check that a connection is established. Next solve a captcha, and from there go online. That’s it.
Final thoughts
Since American is my primary carrier, this is quite a steal. Basically 90% off the normal monthly rate, which only includes Gogo. The fact that it includes Panasonic makes it even sweeter.
I couldn’t get this to work on a Gogo equipped flight on United Express, but that’s about the only bad news. If this price holds, it is still a significant cost saver.
