Constant connectivity is a big part of what more passengers worldwide are expecting from their air travels
Interest in inflight connectivity and connectivity related products and services is significantly higher for travelers outside the US, according to a recent study by global aero communications service provider Gogo Inc. This despite the contravening fact that fewer connected aircraft are operating internationally compared to the domestic US fleet.
Among air travelers in regions outside the US, more than four in five (83 percent) said they were interested in using WiFi, compared to almost threequarters (74 percent) of US air travelers.
In addition, the Gogo study found that airline passengers outside the US are more likely to carry their own WiFi-enabled devices on a plane and are more willing to pay for the services when compared to travelers in the US.
Some of the disparity may be linked to the greater availability of access in developed countries and differing attitudes toward personal technology between developed and developing economies. In a recent survey of Internet users around the world conducted by Microsoft Corp., participants from developing countries expressed enthusiasm about the benefits of technology, while developed countries, where technology is more ubiquitous, express concerns about emerging issues.
In other words, in the US – where Internet penetration is highest and seems to be ‘always on’ – there may be less insistence on staying constantly connected, even at 35,000 feet. On the other hand, while US passengers still show a strong interest in inflight connectivity, among non-US fliers keeping personal technology linked up en route has a greater sense of urgency.
“Internet users overwhelmingly say that personal technology is making the world better and more vital,” said Mark Penn, Microsoft executive vice president and chief strategy officer. “But there is a digital divergence in the attitudes of Internet users in developing and developed countries.”
Who Pays?The Gogo study conducted across sixteen countries and four regions also found that passengers outside the US are 23 percent more likely to pay for inflight WiFi compared to US airline customers. Surprisingly, the US also had the lowest percentage of passengers boarding with a WiFi-enabled device (76 percent).
“The number of global passengers topped 3 billion in 2013 and has grown by 37 percent in the last four years. Ubiquitous connectivity has become the norm around the globe and there are very few passengers these days boarding an aircraft without a WiFi-enabled device,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief commercial officer. “What’s surprising to us is that the demand and willingness to pay for these services is clearly higher outside the US. We have found that air travelers outside of the US index higher on affluence relative to the general population in their markets.”
Whether in the US or abroad, WiFi is increasingly important for passengers when making decisions about which airline to book. Today, more than 20 percent of passengers say they are looking for WiFi when choosing an airline, which is up from 16 percent in a Gogo study conducted just last year.
As a result, airlines are adding WiFi capacity at a record pace. According to January numbers from Routehappy’s Scores & Happiness Factors API, 52 airlines worldwide now offer inflight WiFi in most regions of the globe. Fliers on US carriers have at least “some” chance of WiFi on 66 percent of their flights system wide, while non-US airlines offering at least “some” chance on 15 percent of their international flights. Routehappy defines “some” chance as up to one-third of a given subfleet being WiFi equipped.
Two non-US airlines, Norwegian and Icelandair, now offer a “very good” chance of WiFi on more than 80 percent of their international flight miles, while passengers on another seven – Japan, Emirates, Aeroflot, Iberia, Lufthansa, Singapore and Etihad – have a “very good” chance on at least 20 percent of their international service. A “very good” chance means that more than two-thirds of a given subfleet has WiFi.
All three legacy US airlines – United, Delta and American – have multiple aircraft types with international WiFi installed flying on international routes, with aggressive rollout plans in place.
Domestically, Routehappy reports that inflight WiFi is widely available on both mainline and many regional connection flights within the US. Futhermore all the busiest US domestic routes – those with 20 or more daily flights in each direction including JFK-LAX, LGA-BOS, LGA-DCA, JFK-SFO, CLT-ATL – have WiFi availability on all flights.
Grasp, ABC Global Services Announce PartnershipData and intelligence T&E solutions provider Grasp Technologies has become the new preferred technology vendor for automation, reporting, and business intelligence solutions for ABC Global Services.
In addition to offering product discounts to ABC Global’s agency members, Grasp will work with its management team to help create new efficiencies and identify new opportunities. Introduction of Grasp’s product and service offerings to ABC Global’s nearly 8,000 member agencies will take place over the next few months.
Cvent Releases Portals & DashboardsCvent has announced the release Portals & Dashboards for its Web Surveys division. Portals are customized microsites where users and stakeholders can view published survey content. Dashboards are a visualized representation of survey data that can be used in real-time. Together, Portals & Dashboards help organizations better understand their survey data so they can be empowered to make smarter, data-based decisions.
Portals features include the ability to publish feedback program content from surveys to the portal, customize themes to organization’s branding and send invitations, notifications and scheduled e-mails to users to view published content. Dashboards allow users to create custom dashboards and share with any stakeholders internally or externally.
Watch What’s NewHotels.com Introduces Apple Watch App – Hotels.com has premiered its first Apple Watch compatible app, enabling its users to seek nearby hotel deals, view upcoming reservations and locate their hotel via GPS. Through the app, guests will be notified about upcoming reservations and have full access to booking details, such as the hotel image and address.
The app will also display directions to the hotel and remind the guest about check-in and check-out information. A special feature also enables travelers to find last-minute hotel deals in their current location.
JAL Debuts Countdown App for Apple Watch – Japan Airlines has developed an app for Apple Watch that will make it more convenient for customers to obtain important travel information, check flight status on the go and check-in at the gate. The JAL Countdown app provides passengers with timely information about domestic flights – including flight status and boarding gate details – as well as boarding procedures and notifications at the JAL-serviced airport.
Passengers can also countdown the exact time to their flight in increments of ten minutes, giving them worry-free time to shop, eat or relax before their flight. With a two dimensional QR code, passengers can board flights, go through security check points and enter airport lounges right from their Apple Watch.
Orbitz Customizes Apple Watch App – Orbitz.com has announced that the Orbitz app has been customized for Apple Watch. The iOS app takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Apple Watch to make accessing travel details and features – like flight itineraries, real-time travel alerts and the Orbitz Rewards loyalty program – faster and more convenient.
The app utilizes “Glances” to make important itinerary information available at a quick swipe, beginning 24 hours prior to the start of a trip and including day-of travel updates.
In addition to the free Orbitz iOS app for Apple Watch available on iTunes, the Orbitz Android app is also available for Android Wear devices on Google Play.
Better Passenger Experience Hinges on More AutomationTime-consuming baggage and security procedures are the top areas US air travelers feel the airport experience can be improved, according to a recent survey conducted by air transport IT specialist, SITA. When asked about areas of improvement, 77 percent of respondents cite security and border patrol procedures, while a slightly fewer 73 percent report baggage collection upon arrival as their top concern.
Just 24 percent of respondents report using a self-service bag-drop station today, yet 30 percent said they would use it if available in the future. And more than twice that number, 65 percent of respondents, said they would like to receive real-time baggage updates on their mobile device.
The 9th annual SITA/Air Transport World Passenger IT Trends Survey was conducted across 15 countries worldwide with a total of nearly 6,300 participants, including more than 1,275 passengers in the US.
Chrome River, Western Union Announce UK AllianceChrome River, a provider of expense reporting solutions, and Western Union Business Solutions (UK) Limited, a leader in global foreign exchange and payments, have announced a new UK-based collaboration combining online expense reporting and invoice processing coupled with cross-border payment processing.
Chrome River customers will benefit by having a solution to send and receive international payments and manage foreign currency exchange for their overseas transactions. Western Union Business Solutions (UK) Limited customers will have access to an easy-to-use, SaaS-based expense reporting and invoice processing solution.
The new UK alliance between the companies follows a similar arrangement in North America that launched in June 2014.