According to Inmarsat’s 2022 Passenger Experience Survey, 83% of passengers feel confident flying again.
This is a significant rise from just 10% this time last year. Inmarsat surveyed more than 11,000 people worldwide who have travelled by air in the past 12 months.
Despite ongoing travel challenges, confidence in air travel has returned in full force. This is true across the globe, with Brazil and Saudi Arabia (90%) the most confident, the UK close to average (81%), and South Korea (53%) the least.
In an interesting development, a large majority of the people surveyed (77%) said that in-flight Wi-Fi is important to them when they travel, which is up from just 55% in 2018’s survey. This growth was most pronounced in the Middle East.
Inmarsat says this offers a major opportunity for airlines, as 82% of passengers globally said they would rebook with an airline that offered quality inflight Wi-Fi, with 92% of business travellers and 90% of parents with children under 18 agreeing. Just 67% agreed before the pandemic, demonstrating how much more important inflight Wi-Fi has become.
Niels Steenstrup, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many travellers confident in taking to the skies again following the pandemic, and is testament to the airline industry’s focus in getting air travel back on track so quickly. The fact that the overwhelming majority of passengers now use their own devices on board – and so many feel Wi-Fi is important to them when flying – presents an unmissable opportunity for airlines.
“Not only can in-flight connectivity help airlines attract new customers and keep existing ones happy, but it also opens the door to new revenue generation opportunities for airlines to support the industry’s ongoing recovery. We’ve been tracking the desire for in-flight connectivity for years and can see it shows no signs of slowing down. Reliable Wi-Fi is undoubtedly fundamental to an excellent passenger experience.
“Giving passengers the flying experience they want and focusing on providing quality Wi-Fi for those who want to work or play while on board will be the gift that keeps on giving for passengers and for airlines.”
