Wi-Fi in the Air: A Game Changer for Airlines
When it comes to business travelers, the flight schedule has generally been most important. Few passengers will choose an airline for its wine list, or the rich Corinthian leather. Never mind the in-flight movie or food.
But in the last year, a new reason for choosing one airline over another has emerged -- with a measurable market shift in the process. Many business travelers now expect not just to get from point A to point B -- but to log on.
An estimated 2,000 commercial U.S. aircraft offered Wi-Fi by the end of 2010, according to research firm In-Stat. When airlines first began rolling out wireless Internet, 76 percent of frequent business travelers said they would choose an airline based on the availability of in-flight Internet service.
Those numbers haven't been realized yet, with airlines generating only about $95 million last year from Wi-Fi users. But as more airlines install this option, and with more pricing tiers available, this number is likely to rise.
Already onboard Wi-Fi has changed my flying habits and times. In the past, I chose red eye, overnight flights so I could be the most productive on the ground and not be out of touch in the air. Thanks to onboard Wi-Fi, I now fly during the day, and I'm connected across (and over) the country.
From the moment we hit 10,000 feet until 15 minutes before landing, I'm on my computer. The onboard meal is usually an unwanted interruption, and I've suddenly become a time-management whiz, using that five hours on the transcontinental to best advantage.
(Although no one uses onboard Wi-Fi to their best advantage more than attorneys. Talk about billable hours in the air!)
Want to start working online in the air?
- Virgin America has it on every flight.
- AirTran has it on every flight
- Delta has it on most flights.
- American has it on the transcons, but then it's a crap shoot -- some MD-80s have them, but very few 757s are equipped. I've yet to find a 737 that has it. American has also launched a widget to help passengers figure out if their specific aircraft is equipped.
- Frontier has announced it will begin installing Wi-Fi on its Embraer fleet.
- GoGo, the most common provider for onboard Wi-Fi, can also be found on select aircraft with Air Canada, AirTran, Alaska Airlines, United, and US Airways.
- JetBlue is working with ViaSat to install it on its fleet by 2012.
Understand the airline can substitute equipment at the last minute. American recently disconnected its power ports on its 767 transcon flights between New York and Los Angeles. (American is reconfiguring the power ports, and with luck we won't have the need for cigarette lighter adapters soon.) We can still get online, but we can't keep our laptops charged, and for now, business travelers on those flights are not happy. The outcry was so large that I received a surprise phone call from American apologizing for the inconvenience for not being able to plug in on my upcoming flight, and the airline told me it was depositing 5,000 miles to my account.
Costing is going down. At first, onboard Wi-Fi was about $12 every time you used it. I pleaded with the folks at Aircell's Gogo (the provider at American, Virgin America and Delta) to sell me an annual pass. Finally, they marketed a prepaid, $35-a-month program for unlimited use. Best investment I ever made in terms of staying connected and I continue to pay that monthly fee.
Well, actually there was even a better investment. Years ago, when the airlines were introduced airphones, they had a one-time offer of $500 for six months of unlimited phone service in the air. I could get all my calls done, and no one could call me! I not only used the phone about 30 times per flight for my own calls, I let the flight attendants use it, as well as other passengers. I was the most popular person on the plane. And in retrospect, I now think I was singularly responsible for ending that particular phone deal.
Well, I don't think I'll singlehandedly end the onboard Wi-Fi deal, but my $35 a month is a steal. I'm on about 10 to 12 flights a month, at least, so $4 to be online is a tremendous bargain.
Besides, it's really not how much the service costs. It's how much it's worth. I cannot even begin to measure the time, stress, anxiety I've saved, not to mention the appointments I've been able to keep by being able to stay in touch in the air.
Do you use Wi-Fi in the air, and would you choose an airline for that reason?
Image courtesy of: Stock Exchange
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