Passenger Stuck with $1,171 Wi-Fi Bill on Singapore Airlines Flight

A Canadian man who racked up a $1,171 Wi-Fi bill on a recent Singapore Airlines flight says it’s official: He has to pony up and pay the full amount.

Jeremy Gutsche, chief executive of Toronto-based innovation consultancy Trend Hunter, says he unwittingly accrued the charges on a flight last week from London to Singapore.

Gutsche says he signed up for a 30 megabyte Internet plan, which cost $28.99, and was aware that he would be responsible for data beyond that limit. But he was stunned when he learned upon landing that viewing some 155 pages — mostly checking email and uploading a PowerPoint document — had resulted in $1,142 of overage fees, he said in a blog post and on Twitter.

A Singapore Airlines spokesman said Monday the airline had been in contact with Switzerland-based OnAir, the provider of the WiFi service, on Gutsche’s behalf.

But the airline ultimately told him that he must pay the full amount, according to Gutsche. Asked about the apparent resolution to the charges, the Singapore Airlines spokesman said he could not provide any details about the carriers’ discussions with Gutsche.

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