In-flight connectivity has been increasing with each passing day. It won’t be wrong to say that COVID helped speed up in-flight connectivity because airlines went in for a major rejig of their fleet. This involved retiring the older aircraft at a faster speed and inducting fuel efficient planes in future.
Airlines were not spending much on revamping the older planes with their end of life in a few years, while the newer aircraft have been entering the fleet with modern seats, connectivity and IFE, amongst other things.
Emirates first
Starting early this year, Emirates – the Dubai headquartered airlines and the largest operator of Airbus A380 aircraft announced the enhancement to Emirates’ inflight connectivity which it said will help every passenger, irrespective of class or service, to have some form of free connectivity once they sign up for Emirates Skywards – the loyalty program of the airline. The development has resulted in an additional 30,000 Economy Class passengers connecting to complimentary onboard Wi-Fi every week. The airline said that it has invested more than US$ 300 million into onboard connectivity.
The usage has been linked to loyalty. Skywards members, whether Blue, Silver, Gold, or Platinum tier, travelling in any class, whether Economy, Premium Economy, Business or First Class will enjoy free app messaging. Additionally, First Class passengers will have unlimited free internet if they are Skywards members, enabling them to shop or work online while inflight, as will Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members travelling in Business Class. Platinum Skywards members have complimentary internet access in all classes.
The increase in free connectivity has been very well received by Emirates’ passengers following changes in January 2023 and the airline today sees an average of 450,000 users per month. This represents a 30% increase of passenger use in 2023 versus the same period last year. Currently almost 10% of all passengers are utilising the complimentary onboard Wi-Fi. On routes through the Americas, almost 20% of passengers connect to Wi-Fi onboard, and on European and Africa routes the usage is over 11% of all passengers.
Emirates also announced that it will offer new high-speed, inflight broadband powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation, onboard 50 new Airbus A350 aircraft – scheduled to enter service in 2024. The new agreement will significantly improve the passenger experience with enhanced connectivity and greater global coverage, even on flights over the Arctic. The Airbus A350s will be the first Emirates aircraft to take advantage of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, which powers the world’s first and only globally available broadband network, ensuring passengers can enjoy uninterrupted global connectivity, no matter their destination, including the North Pole. The advanced high-speed capabilities of the broadband will enable Emirates passengers to stay connected with family and friends, browse the internet, and enjoy social media, all from the comfort of their seat. Emirates also confirmed an investment of over US$ 350 million to equip a 50-strong fleet of A350s coming in 2024 with enhanced passenger connectivity via Thales’ AVANT Up system and Optiq – the first smart display in the industry to offer two Bluetooth connections, built-in Wi-Fi for passengers to pair multiple devices including phones, tablets, headphones or even game controllers, while supporting up to 60 watts USB-C to fast-charge personal devices.
Singapore Next
Effective July 2023, Singapore Airlines is offering free wifi for limited hours at the minimum. For passengers in Business Class, First Class and SQ Suites, there will be unlimited internet on offer. The unlimited internet offer is also extended to PPS (Priority Passenger Service) Club Members who may travel in any cabin.
KrisFlyer members flying in Premium Economy and Economy will also be able to use unlimited internet. Inflight wi-fi is available on all but seven aircraft of Singapore Airlines. The seven B737 NG.
Why this move?
One would wonder why airlines are doing this, especially at a time when demand is at an all time high and supply side is the problem. There are more reasons than one to this. The first is to build loyalty. The travel boom will not last forever. Most global airlines have signed up for large aircraft orders which will be delivered over the next decade. Building loyalty and typing them up with benefits beyond cheaper fares and discounts would be a good way forward.
Secondly, the infrastructure is already in place. If the past data has indicated that not many have signed up for the paid internet, this could be a good marketing gimmick to get people hooked to the internet in-flight. Policies can always be changed at a later date to make people pay again!
Lastly, it is often said that data is the new oil and the data that one would get to analyse from this will be rich and decide the pricing and in-flight connectivity for future decades.
Will Indian airlines join in?
The Indian aircraft registry is dominated by narrowbody aircraft flying a 5-6 hour range on the maximum. The longest of domestic flights are about 3 hours while the average domestic flight in India is roughly two hours. With wafer thin margins for airlines, not many have wanted to invest. It took a long time for IFE’s to reappear after the fall of Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways restricting it to International services.
India, is also a low cost market with over 80% market share with LCCs. Not many LCCs worldwide have invested in wi-fi. In the neighbourhood, AirAsia Bhd. has invested in inflight wi-fi.
The regulations angle also comes into the picture since India has remained one of the blank spots for in-flight connectivity over the country for probably the longest time.
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