Inflight broadband demand on the rise: APAC leads the way
SCENARIOS
The In-Flight Connectivity Survey, conducted by Inmarsat and market research firm GfK, shows passengers today expect broadband services as standard during flights. In fact, more than half would prefer connectivity to in-flight meals, entertainment or duty-free shopping.
Bill Peltola
SENIOR DIRECTOR ASIA PACIFIC REGION AT INMARSAT AVIATION
The survey was conducted between August 2015 and March 2016 amongst 9,000 passengers in Asia, Australasia, Europe and Central and South America. Results suggest that the huge uptake of portable electronic devices means passengers in transit want the connectivity they’re used to at home or at work. In fact, 68% of passengers under 34 and 55% of passengers over 45 indicated they’d be willing to pay for in-flight broadband services.
Quality over price
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region are seeing a particularly sharp increase in the demand for on-board broadband services. A majority of passengers the Asia Pacific region expects high-speed connections during flights. Quality is considered more important than price. 62% of participating passengers would be prepared to pay a premium for a quality service. Nine out of ten respondents indicated that availability of onboard connectivity plays a part in their choice of airline.
Bill Peltola, Senior Director Asia Pacific Region at Inmarsat Aviation has pointed out that only 3% of aircraft currently operating in Asia Pacific offer in-flight broadband, despite the fact that three-quarters of passengers are interested. Airlines could, therefore, use fast on-board connections as a differentiation point to attract customers.
IN-FLIGHT CONNECTIVITY SURVEY KEY FINDINGS
- 83% of passengers prefer an airline that offers in-flight broadband
- 78% of passengers expect to see onboard connectivity replace in-flight entertainment systems within the next five to ten years
- 34% of passengers bring three mobile devices onboard a flight and are willing to pay to connect their phone, tablet or laptop computer to in-flight broadband
- Willingness to pay for broadband services on a flight of any length:
- Europe – 69% of passengers are prepared to pay
- Asia Pacific – 67% of passengers are prepared to pay
- Latin America – 64% of passengers are prepared to pay