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The unsure future of in-flight wifi
Remember when Clear Security started giving away discounted and free memberships earlier this year? At the time, the company marketed the effort as a means to increase membership and awareness, but in hindsight we now see that it was also a death rattle. Only weeks after announcing a host of specials, Clear unexpectedly terminated its service, stranding tons of passengers with costly expired memberships.Could that same demise prove possible for in-flight wireless? 2009's holiday season has brought numerous deals for free onboard internet, and this could very well be a last ditch effort to drum up support. As Mary Kirby at Flightglobal highlights, an average of six users per flight are using internet, which surely can't be enough to pay for operating costs. How long can this sustain?
Some could also argue that wireless has greater value than the niche service that Clear offered. But think back to the time when seat-back phones were installed on airplanes -- that seemed like a good idea too, right?
For what it's worth, I hope that the airlines stick with their wi-fi plans. As the population of passengers continues to age, the technology generation is quickly forcing out the less tech-savvy baby boomers and wireless usage is surely going to pick up. As an industry, we just need to wait for the boom.
[Via Brett Snyder at BNET]
Filed under: Business, Airlines, Transportation, Airports
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Malaycobra Nov 26th 2009 1:43PM
Tere's just not enough room in coach to use a laptop. (A netbook maybe) By the time you have found your seat, a\battled for overhead space and got into a window seat, it's a big pain to fire up a laptop and pay for access.
First class space makes it easier to use a laptop, and I'll bet that's where 5 of the 6 WiFii passengers are located.
Nick Nov 26th 2009 6:45PM
Right.. and also the absence of power sockets on most economy cabin seats!
Sean McLachlan Nov 27th 2009 4:36AM
I like not being connected while I'm flying and I hardly ever turn on my laptop. I think of flights as transition periods, where I can relax, take some time for some pleasure reading, and not interact with anyone. This is the reason I don't want internet on my cell phone either. I spend way too much time on email and social networking as it is!
Grant Martin Nov 27th 2009 4:38AM
That's from the gate to 10,000 feet for me :)
Adam Dec 1st 2009 1:38AM
Traveling home for Thankgiving, I used the GoGo wifi on my AA flight. I had a coupon code to try it for free (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered), but I have to admit I really enjoyed being able to be online in the air.
Plenty of other people on the plane at least had out their laptops whether it was just watching movies or typing things up, but I got to spend my time on Twitter. Worth it!
Oh, and I definitely was in a cramped coach seat. I did spill my drink on the seat, but it was still worth it!