Spirit Airlines to add Wi-Fi on all flights — for a price

Spirit Airlines has developed a reputation for offering dirt-cheap fares as well as a lengthy menu of passenger fees, including a $10 charge just to have an airport agent print out your boarding pass.

But the low-cost carrier doesn’t have a fee to let passengers connect to onboard wireless internet because the airline is one of the last major carriers in the country to install Wi-Fi in planes.

That is about to change. In November, Spirit Airlines will begin adding satellite-based Wi-Fi on its entire fleet, with completion expected by the end of 2019.

Spirit Airlines Chief Executive Ted Christie announced on the airline website that the Wi-Fi speed will be fast enough to stream videos but won’t include any free content such as Netflix, Hulu or other movie-streaming services.

Delta Air Lines, for example, offers about 1,000 hours of free movies and television programming on its entertainment system, known as Delta Studio.

On Spirit Airlines, the fee to hook onto the onboard Wi-Fi will start at about $6.50 a flight for travelers who just want to surf the web. The fee to connect to Wi-Fi fast enough to stream videos will start at $9, according to Spirit representatives.

[email protected]

Twitter: @hugomartin