Internet Access at 35,000 feet

Beginning this week and over the next few months, many airline carriers in the U.S. and Europe will be testing various internet services on their planes, with plans to expand the technology throughout their fleets in the next 12 to 18 months.  Some predict that “in a few years time, if you get on a flight that doesn’t have Internet access, it will be like walking into a hotel room that doesn’t have TV.”  In-flight Internet service is not a novel concept, but previous attempts at providing the service have seen high prices discourage passengers from utilizing it.  Nonetheless, a recent survey conducted by Forrester Research found that 26 percent of leisure travelers would pay $10 for Internet access on a 2-4 hour flight, and 45 percent would pay that amount for a flight longer than 4 hours.  This level of demand suggests that our ability to communicate and access information with the click of a button will be, literally and figuratively, reaching new heights in the years to come.  To read more on this topic, click here.