Comments on: Wi-fi isn’t a hit on planes yet, and maybe it’s not about price

By: Travel-Feed.com

Travel-Feed.com — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:00:21 +0000

Few air travelers pony up for Wi-Fi service…

NEW YORK — Travelers used to getting a free wireless Internet connection on land aren’t willing to pay for one at 30,000 feet. Wireless Internet service on airlines hasn’t caught on, mostly because of the p……

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:26:54 +0000

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.

By: tom

tom — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:06:30 +0000

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.

By: Bob Stocking

Bob Stocking — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:03:08 +0000

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.

By: MeanMeosh

MeanMeosh — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:44:28 +0000

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).

By: Bobby Trif

Bobby Trif — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:04:48 +0000

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.