3 Best Ways to Watch Netflix on a Plane

Cassie J. 11/11/2025

CleverGet Netflix Downloader

1,230 views

Netflix, without doubt, is one of the most popular streaming services that come with a large library of movies and TV shows. As long as you get an active Netflix subscription and well-connected internet network, you could freely stream movies, TV shows, originals and even live events from Netflix. But how about during a flight? Can you watch Netflix on a plane during flying? You have come to the right place. In this post, we would like to provide you with 3 ways to help you watch Netflix on plane.

Method 1: Watch Netflix on a Plane Using In-Flight WiFi

Can I watch Netflix on a plane directly? Yes, as long as your plane gets in-flight WiFi, which is provided by satellite internet providers and has become increasingly available in most planes. Currently in the U.S., multiple airlines provide free in-flight Wi-Fi, such as Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airlines. Also, some other airlines provide charged in-flight Wi-Fi, like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, Spirit Airlines, United, etc. The prices start from $6 (for browsing and texting), and vary between different airlines. Some of these airlines even provide a discount for specific members such as Delta SkyMiles members. You could refer to the airlines' FAQ or introduction to check if an in-flight Wi-Fi is provided and whether or not it is free.

However, it should be noted that even though an airline provides in-flight Wi-Fi, some of them might not support online video streaming. Some airlines like Southwest just support texting only, other than video streaming. You need to figure it out yourself by consulting the airlines support. Meanwhile, the in-flight Wi-Fi networks are usually slow but expensive. You need to stand the slow loading of video streaming.

Method 2: Watch Netflix on a Plane Using App Built-in Download Feature

While it’s slow and expensive to watch Netflix on plane via the in-flight Wi-Fi, a better way is to download Netflix titles on the Netflix app on your phone or tablet devices. The mobile Netflix app provides direct download feature to let you freely download videos on Netflix for offline viewing.

But you might be asking “can I watch downloaded Netflix on a plane”. The answer is of course yes, as long as your Netflix downloads are still valid. What you need to do to watch Netflix downloads on plane is just download videos on Netflix app before you start your flight, which is quite easy, as listed below:

Step 1. Open Netflix app on your mobile device, and then log into it with your Netflix account.
Step 2. Browse and find the video you want to download for watching on a plane.
Step 3. Open it and on the details page, click the Download icon, if available, since not all videos are available for downloading.
Step 4. The Netflix download will start instantly. You could find all your Netflix downloads in "My Netflix > Downloads" to watch Netflix downloads on a plane.

Then, you could open your Netflix app and go to the “My Netflix > Downloads” tab to watch Netflix on plane. But you need to note that there are a few limitations applied in Netflix downloads, as listed below:

With so many limitations, the in-app download feature without doubt fully meets your requirements. For example, you might find that you can’t download specific Netflix video, since there is no download icon available, which happens due to license issue. To avoid these Netflix download limits, a 3rd-party Netflix video downloader would do you a big favor.

Method 3: Watch Netflix on a Plane Using Third-party Tools

CleverGet Netflix Downloader is a 3rd-party Netflix video download tool to help you avoid all Netflix app download limitations and watch Netflix on a plane without any limit. This Netflix downloader directly downloads movies, TV shows and other on-demand videos from Netflix website on your computer, and then save as MP4/MKV files, after which you could transfer the MP4/MKV files to any media players and devices that support MP4/MKV file playback. It could even help you solve issues like how to watch Netflix on Macbook on plane.

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• CleverGet Netflix Downloader

  • Download Netflix movies and shows at up to 1080P without ads.
  • Convert Netflix video to MP4/MKV file with original quality.
  • Download Netflix episodes across seasons in batch.
  • Reserve multiple subtitles and audio tracks.
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It is not complicated to download Netflix videos with CleverGet Netflix Downloader. By following the below steps, you could easily learn how to download Netflix videos for watching on plane with this 3rd-party Netflix video downloader.

Step 1: Set download directory
On your computer, download, install and kick off CleverGet, which includes Netflix Downloader as a module. Then click the “More” icon at the top-right corner to choose “Settings” option to set download directory on the “Settings > General” tab.



Step 2: Play back Netflix video and parse it
Open Netflix website within CleverGet and then log in with your account. Play back the video you want to download and then click the round icon on the bottom right corner of the screen to parse target Netflix video page.

Step 3: Choose download options and start downloading
Once the parse completes, you then need to choose download option, output format, quality, audio track and subtitle, etc. After that, click the blue “Download” button to start downloading Netflix videos to your computer.



Step 4: Get Netflix downloads and transfer to devices
You could view all downloading and downloaded tasks on the right sidebar. After downloading completes, you will get standalone MP4/MKV files, which could then be transferred to any MP4/MKV compatible devices and players for on-the-go playback. Now, just watch Netflix downloads on plane or train during your journey.

Comparison: The Best Way to Watch Netflix on a Plane

Through the above methods, you could easily watch Netflix on plane. Which one is the best way to watch Netflix on a plane? The first method is actually not fully accessible, since not all airlines provide in-flight Wi-Fi network. Even it is available in some airlines, it is slow and expensive. You won’t be able to watch Netflix on plane if it is not available, or the experience is extremely poor since the in-flight Wi-Fi network is slow.

As to the 2nd method, the Netflix download feature enables you to watch most Netflix movies and TV shows on plane without extra cost. However, there are quite a few limitations applied, which are mentioned above. These Netflix download limits greatly reduce your digital entertainment.

Compared to the first 2 methods, the third method - using 3rd-party Netflix video downloader, provides you full access to all Netflix on-demand videos offline without any limit. With 3rd-party Netflix downloaders, you could get all Netflix on-demand videos and save them as independent MP4 or MKV files, which could then be transferred to and played back on various media players and devices. You could keep all these Netflix downloads as long as you like, and watch them on any supported devices. Also, there is no network buffering in watching Netflix downloads on plane in this way. Hence, it is without doubt the best way to watch Netflix on a plane.

FAQs

1. Can I watch downloaded Netflix on a plane?

Yes, as long as your Netflix subscription is active and your Netflix downloads are still valid. Or, you could use Netflix video downloaders, which enables you to watch downloaded Netflix videos on any device anywhere anytime.

2. Can I watch Netflix downloads while traveling?

Netflix downloads are region-locked, too. If you travel to another country, then it possibly fails to play back downloads due to licensing differences. You can try to stay in airplane mode and avoid connecting to Wi-Fi or mobile data abroad while streaming Netflix downloaded videos.

3. How many Netflix videos can I download?

This depends on your Netflix subscription plans. Ad-free Netflix subscription plan allows up to 100 downloads at a time per calendar month, while ad-supported plan allows up to 15 downloads only. 3rd-party Netflix downloaders have no download limit in quantity.

Conclusion

Now, more and more airlines have been trying to add in-flight Wi-Fi network, which makes it easy to stream online videos, shop online, browse and text, etc., just like you are at home. This without doubt will deliver great convenience and more fun during flight. Currently, the best way to watch Netflix videos on a plane is still downloading Netflix videos beforehand, due to the limitations of current in-flight Wi-Fi. As to Netflix download, you could try its internal download feature, which gets multiple limitations, and 3rd-party Netflix downloader tools, which have been proved to be currently the best solution.