Wi-Fi Internet access could help airlines win over customers who are looking to stay connected while en route, a recent survey concludes.
(Credit:
American Airlines)
According to a study published this week by Wakefield Research for the Wi-Fi Alliance, about 75 percent of frequent business travelers surveyed said they'd choose an airline based on whether the flight has Wi-Fi or not. Half of respondents said they'd even consider moving their reservation by a day to get on a flight that offered Wi-Fi. And more than 70 percent of those surveyed said they'd rather have Wi-Fi access on board a flight than a meal provided by the airline.
Since last year, several airlines have been adding Wi-Fi to their planes. Delta, American Airlines, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines, and AirTran are just a few that have already begun to offer the service. Southwest Airlines announced earlier this month that it plans to offer Wi-Fi on its planes starting in the first quarter of next year.
Typically, these services cost about $12 or $13 per flight. The survey did not take into account the cost of the service. But given the popularity of Wi-Fi hotspots in airports and in various restaurants and cafes, the price doesn't appear to be a major barrier.
The survey included 480 frequent business travelers, of whom 150 had used in-flight Wi-Fi in early August. About 95 percent of respondents said Wi-Fi access on a flight would make them more productive. And about half of those responding said they had often taken red-eye flights so they could be reached during business hours.
But the Wi-Fi Alliance emphasized that in-flight Wi-Fi is not just for business travelers. Other travelers also use the service. About 72 percent of those surveyed say they use it to check personal e-mail. About 49 percent say they use the in-flight Wi-Fi to surf the Web. And about 35 percent use it to stream video or music.
Go ahead, send that all-important text.
(Credit: Airbus)British Airways announced this week that it would initiate limited cell phone use on an upcoming route between London and New York City. Voice calls will not be permitted, but passengers will be allowed to send and receive text messages and e-mails.
The airline will limit the service to twice-daily flights between London City Airport and New York's JFK that are due to start in September. The all-business class route is flown by a narrow-body Airbus A318 aircraft that must make a stop in Ireland on the westbound leg. The configuration will allow for just 32 seats.
British Airways didn't disclose pricing for the service, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was included in the price of the business-class ticket. Though avoiding the trek to Heathrow may attract busy financial titans shuttling between The City and Wall Street, the price of a ticket is not expected to be cheap.
Other airlines have experimented with in-flight cell phone use, including Ryanair, Qantas, Air France, and Emirates. Only Emirates allows voice calls onboard, but other airlines, British Airways included, say they might permit in-flight talking, depending on passenger feedback.
(Source: Daily Telegraph via PhoneSccop)
Coffee, tea, or porn? "I don't think so," say American Airline flight attendants.
Leaders of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents some 19,000 workers including American Airlines flight attendants, asked American Airline's management this week to consider adding filters to its in-flight Wi-Fi access to prevent passengers from viewing porn and other inappropriate Web sites while in-flight.
A union representative told Bloomberg News that attendants and passengers have raised "a lot of complaints" over the issue.
(Credit:
American Airlines)
American Airlines is one of several airlines testing in-flight Internet access as a way to lure more passengers. American has been offering the service on a limited basis since August 20th on some flights between New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and between New York and Miami. The cost of the service on cross-country flights is $12.95, and it's $9.95 on the New York to Miami route.
The current program is in a 3- to 6-month trial period, and the airline plans to review usage and feedback on the service at the end of that period, an American Airlines spokesman told Bloomberg.
The controversy has stirred up an ongoing debate about whether Internet access in public places should be restricted. Earlier this year, the Denver International Airport took a lot flack for blocking access on its free Wi-Fi network to Web sites that officials deemed offensive.
The argument was made by Denver airport officials that users must abide by their rules because they are providing the service for free. But that case is harder to make for in-flight passengers, who are paying for Internet access.
Given that people are packed onto planes literally elbow to elbow, it's often hard not to at least glance at the laptop screen of the person sitting next to you. But airlines have not banned people from reading pornographic magazines or watching their own DVDs on flights. And it's just as easy for someone to view a DVD of an adult video on a laptop or flip through Hustler as it is to surf porn Web sites.
The truth is that it hasn't been a major problem on flights thus far. In fact, American Airline's spokesman Tim Smith told Bloomberg that the "vast majority" of customers already use good judgment in what's appropriate to look at while flying versus what's not.
And he added, "Customers viewing inappropriate material on board a flight is not a new scenario for our crews, who have always managed this issue with great success."
What do you think? Should airlines filter Internet access at 20,000 feet? Or should they just stay out of the censoring debate?
Quiet please: A House committee has moved to prohibit in-flight cell phone use.
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)A House of Representatives committee threw another hurdle into the path of in-flight cell phone use Thursday, when it voted to ban the use permanently. By a voice vote, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace(or Hang Up) Act, which was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).
The legislation, which now moves to the full House for consideration, would prohibit "voice communications using communications devices on scheduled flights," with exceptions for flight crew members and a federal law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity. In-flight texting, Wi-Fi, and e-mail on airplanes would not be affected.
In a statement, DeFazio said that not only is cell phone use aloft an annoyance, but also that airlines should be stopped from using in-flight talking as a potential revenue source. "With airline customer satisfaction at an all time low, this is not the time to consider making airplane travel even more torturous," he said. "Polls show the public overwhelmingly doesn't want to be subjected to people talking on their cell phones on increasingly over-packed airplanes." During the hearing, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) lodged a dissenting voice, saying, "You are trying to legislate courtesy, folks, and that just doesn't work."
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