Since I have received an
overwhelming amount of strong opinions to my
'Wi-Fi in the Sky' question, I have decided to
share some of those responses with you.
Who would have thunk?!
JB: WiFi will become the new gold standard in
airline cabins. What do you think of ‘WiFi in
the sky’ and would you pay extra for it ?
JS: Airlines are embracing WiFi, but I have
serious reservations about the viability of the
market and there is not yet any good evidence
that a significant number of people are using
it.
Problems:
-
Cramped coach seats (and ever more crowded planes) make it difficult to use a laptop on tiny tray wedged into your belly.
-
The general lack of electrical outlets (yeah, I know American has some in some planes in coach) limits the use to battery life.
-
The people most likely to use WiFi in-flight, frequent travelers, are precisely the kind of customers who most hate being nickel and dimed, including for Internet connections in a hotel. $13 bucks for an in-flight Wi-Fi connection is a hurdle.
That said, it's
obvious that the industry is banking on the
growth of enabled PDAs and iPhones which
are, of course, easy to use even in a cramped
coach seat. The big question, again, is whether
a significant number of people will pay, though
several airlines that have WiFi offer discounts
for PDA use.
On long haul
overseas flights, I see a much more viable
market, but of course AirCell, which dominates
the US market, is land-based. Satellite based
competitors like Row44 are slowly entering.
Joe
Sharkey, New York Times columnist. Look for his
travel column, 'On The Road', which appears every
Tuesday in the Business Section.
DJ:
I love it! From LAX to JFK I have 5
hours of uninterrupted time to think and get caught up
on e-mails and other projects. It is also nice
to land, turn on your
Blackberry, and have a clean in-box. I pay $12
for the service and think the
charge should stay in line with hotel charges
for internet service.
Don Jones, Director, Corporate and Travel
Industry Sales, Four Seasons Hotels and
Resorts
Virgin Atlantic
is preparing for the inevitable cabin
cell-phone chatter…on select Business Class
flights, their Snooze Zone is
completely noise-free. Even meals must be
eaten at the bar because the clatter of the
silverware might be too noisy! At least you
don’t have to pretend to be sleeping if the
passenger in the seat next to you wants to
have a conversation!
…as if worrying about Wi-Fi wasn’t enough:
Most domestic carriers are accepting
credit cards only for in-cabin purchases. The
phrase, ‘don’t leave home without it’ has
taken on a new urgency! Continental
Airlines is innovative in their
approach; customers have the option of
purchasing ‘Continental currency’ at
all airport kiosks before boarding. The
currency can be redeemed in-flight for
headsets and basics like food and water (don’t forget, water is no longer
free). If you have a child traveling as an
‘unaccompanied minor’, the Continental
currency comes in handy!
