Inflight editor Alexander Preston summarises the latest happenings across IFEC and cabin technology.
With the summer holidays in full swing, thousands of families are preparing to run the gauntlet of air travel, and keeping their little ones entertained for hours at a time.
With children becoming tech-savvy from an early age, families are increasingly looking to airlines to provide in-flight Wi-Fi, so crucial has it become in our daily lives. In doing so, airlines have the opportunity not only to retain on-going patronage, but attract the next generation of passengers too.
According to Inmarsat’s fourth annual global Inflight Connectivity Survey, more than two-thirds of passengers (67%) would be more likely to rebook with an airline if high quality in-flight Wi-Fi were available. This rises to 81% of passengers travelling with children.
In fact 81% of passengers would use in-flight Wi-Fi if it was available on their next flight, rising to 90% of passengers travelling with children.
But, here’s the rub. Quality is key: for more than half of passengers (54%), no Wi-Fi at all is better than a poor quality service.
Whether they provide IFC or not, it’s reassuring to see airlines continue to invest in amenity kits for children, as Alitalia and Yakutia have recently done. Despite our dependency on digital, there is still room for traditional, off-line fun and games.
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