WE live in an age where the Internet has become a necessity. We need it all the time. From home to office, from personal to professional jobs, and irrespective of the dimension of the task — the Internet is necessary for almost everything. The evolution of the Internet has also given rise to WiFi, which allows people to get connected on the move.
And now, with the advent of inflight Wifi, airlines passengers can stay connected, even on the high skies.
NEW WAY OF FLYING
According to Otto Gergye, who is Inmarsat’ vice president (Asia Pacific), good quality WiFi in the air is changing the way people think about flying.
“Whether using the time to work, to connect with friends and family, or to pass time shopping or viewing entertainment, the availability of inflight broadband has become a major factor when choosing an airline,” he says.
Gergye cited a study done by Inmarsat and market research company GfK in February this year, involving a total of 9,000 airline passengers from 18 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North and Latin America. All respondents had taken a flight in the last year for a mix of business and leisure purposes.
Gergye said based on the survey, passengers now expect the same levels of connectivity and access to online services while they are at an altitude of 9,000 metres as they are on the ground. As such, two-thirds (67 per cent) of passengers in Asia Pacific say that inflight WiFi is now a necessity rather than a luxury.
The majority (61 per cent) of inflight WiFi users in Asia Pacific rate it higher on their list of priorities than inflight entertainment when choosing an airline. Supported by more than half of passengers in China (59 per cent) and India (51 per cent), this demonstrates how inflight connectivity is shifting the airline industry and the way passengers behave.
“Having onboard WiFi will make lives more efficient for most of the passengers. Just imagine the amount of hours people spend during flight and are not connected. Airlines have realised there’s so much demand for this,” said Gergye.
CHOICE FOR PASSENGERS
With airlines in every market racing to install or upgrade their WiFi offerings, passengers will have a choice to opt for an airline that offers high-quality broadband over airlines which do not.
The study also finds that over half of passengers in Asia Pacific said they would stop using their preferred airline in the next year if it did not offer connectivity enabling them to stream or browse online without interruption. Specifically, passengers in China and India are most conscious of the quality of inflight WiFi.
Gergye says the ability to connect to personal devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets now sits within the top three considerations when choosing an airline, behind ticket price and flight slots for 40 per cent of respondents who have experienced high-quality WiFi.
“The demand for onboard WiFi will increase as more people experience inflight connectivity. It’s clear the opportunity that connectivity presents to airlines cannot be underestimated. Airlines in Asia Pacific are recognising this, and can now take advantage of having a high quality onboard WiFi option available in the region,” he says.
INMARSAT SOLUTIONS
Inmarsat is transforming the global aviation industry by bringing complete connectivity to every aircraft and flight path in the world.
It is the first and only provider currently with a complete next-generation High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) network spanning the world. Inmarsat is also the only aviation broadband provider capable of connecting the complete aircraft, from cabin to cockpit said Gergye.
The company’s world-leading passenger solutions are complemented by its industry-standard certified safety and operations services. Passengers can browse the internet, stream videos, check social media and more during flights, with an on-board connectivity experience on par with broadband services available on the ground.
Among the ailines that have already offered onboard WiFi are Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Qatar, and Avianca. In Malaysia, Air Asia is said to be finalising details to offer such a service in its aircrafts.