A recent USA Today article stated that “perhaps less than 10% of the passengers who could use Wi-Fi to log on to the Internet actually are doing so.”
The article posited that price is the factor, as many travelers don’t want to pay the fees.
But considering what travelers grumpily pay for in terms of other additional optional fees and charges – $10 and up to board earlier, $9 for a mediocre sandwich, $20 and up for an extra checked bag, I don’t think the cost is the issue.
In-flight internet service, for one thing, is not THAT expensive. On domestic flights Gogo, the leading airline provider, charges between $4.95 and $12.95 to connect depending on the length of the flight. With a $34.95 monthly rate. Many hotels still charge up to $20 a day for connectivity.
Besides, presumably for business travelers, their company would reimburse them for staying connected in the air.
Personally, I’ve always thought of the plane as the last refuge of being unplugged. As a Blackberry user, I’ve mostly joined the ranks of the always online. And like many travelers, I don’t turn the thing off until the flight attendants tell me I have to do so.
But then, even when I’ve been thinking, “One more minute, one more minute,” I must admit, when the airplane door closes, I feel more than a little relief.
I’m beginning to realize I’m not alone.
These days, many of my friends and clients have come to realize that weekends are relative. One client was in a panic over the Fourth of July weekend because HIS boss had been musing over changing travel for a number of staff traveling internationally and sent an email to that effect.
The boss decided to leave things as is, but I had to wonder, would he have called all the employees on the weekend to tell them he was thinking of the change? Probably not.
But in the smartphone age, any thought an employer or client has can be instantly communicated. No matter how trivial it is, it usually requires an answer.
My personal record for such an email might be a bored executive who emailed from a meeting asking how many treadmills her London hotel had. Because she wondered if she would ever have to wait if she wanted to do an indoor workout. (And of course I emailed the hotel, got the answer and sent it back. Not exactly the best use of everyone’s time.)
I think, for an increasing number of people saying, “Sorry, I’m unavailable,” is an ever-increasing blessing. Since wi-fi on planes is still not the status quo, there isn’t the assumption that someone will be online in the air.
Now of course, once upon a time, not so long ago, staying in touch while traveling at all required payphones and hotel phones. Later, expensive dial-up computer connections were necessary. So, this could change. But for now, the more travelers that just say “no” to inflight internet, the longer one of the last respites from technology lasts.
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I think more simply is that people don’t know enough to think their flight will have wifi. The lack of ubiquitous service (ie USair only has it on A321) people don’t plan to have it even on the same airline. And if connecting the chances of having it on both legs is less. If people knew every plane had wifi and could buy it end to end it may be more popular. Gogo also needs to advert more social connectivity than business. Even business travelers might like to use it for social things first then a little business 2nd.
I think there’s a few problems afoot with WiFi on planes, even putting aside the issue of people wanting to get away for a couple of hours:
1) As Bobby pointed out, availability is still hit or miss. Some airlines, like US Airways, advertise on their flight schedules which planes have WiFi and which don’t. On others, like AA, it’s totally luck of the draw.
2) On shorter flights, or combinations of shorter connecting flights, price is an issue. I would have loved to use the WiFi on my Delta flight yesterday from RSW to ATL – but $7 for maybe 50-55 minutes of actual use time? Not worth it. Plus I would have had to pay again for my second connecting flight. It’s an even bigger problem if you’re connecting through an airport that charges for WiFi, like ORD or DFW. They need to come up with some sort of “Day Pass” that works everywhere.
3) On longer flights, the price isn’t bad, so chances are, your laptop/iPhone battery won’t last long enough to make it all the way. Chances are, it’s already been half drained while waiting in the gate area, since most airports don’t provide near enough plugs. Plus, most airlines still don’t provide regular electrical sockets in coach, and those that do like AA use those car charger types (and how many people remember to carry those around).
I’m a trainer, and if I’ve been teaching for a few days, and I have a cross-country flight, then using that time to catch up on email and such is very helpful. But most of the time, sitting on the plane means catching up on reading and/or doing some work-related writing that can benefit from focus. The lack of interruptions, from both inbox and phone, is most welcome.
I couldn’t agree with Janice more. In our 24/7 constantly available society there is an immense sense of relief when we have an undeniable excuse for not being at the beck and call of clients or other staff members. Vacations are quickly becoming much less acceptable so it really seem to be coming down to air travel and a death in the family.
I don’t have a problem with saying no to anyone, so why should I be deprived of the choice to use wifi on my plane trip because others do. Don’t say no to the airlines, say no to yourself and your clients, bosses and whoever else is making unwanted demands. Let the rest of us, who know how to say no, have our wifi option.