Emirates has expanded its free in-flight Wi-Fi service, doubling the amount of complimentary connectivity it provides in economy class.

Effective immediately, all economy class passengers and non-Emirates Skywards members will be provided with 20MB of free data for two hours – double the current 10MB currently offered. Additional data can then be purchased in 150MB or 500MB blocks, with discounts for Skywards Silver and Blue members.

Skywards Platinum and Gold members meanwhile, will be offered free unlimited Wi-Fi throughout their flight, regardless of their class of travel. This privilege also applies to all Skywards members travelling in first or business class.

“Emirates has made significant investments in our in-flight connectivity. Today, Wi-Fi services are available on over 200 of our aircraft, and it is a service that Emirates continues to subsidise heavily,” said Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ vice president & chief operations officer.

“In-flight Wi-Fi usage, already popular from the start, has grown tremendously. Our new in-flight Wi-Fi plans reflect Emirates’ commitment to continue providing this as a free service for as many customers as possible, especially to our most frequent flyers.”

Emirates said that doubling the free data limit to 20MB would suit “light Wi-Fi users” who only want to send short messages or check their social media accounts while flying. This reflects a recent Travel Daily interview with Otto Gergye, Inmarsat vice president for Asia Pacific, who told us that the vast majority of passengers currently use in-flight Wi-Fi simply to “stay in touch” via email and messaging apps.

Business travellers or more heavy users of in-flight Wi-Fi will then have the option of purchasing additional data packages with Emirates.