Connected Passenger Report Released by OneWeb
OneWeb has released initial findings from its first Connected Passenger Report, an extensive survey of passenger attitudes toward air travel and inflight connectivity (IFC) in the post-pandemic landscape.
"The Connected Passenger Report sheds light on the shifting sentiment of passengers who are demanding better and more consistent connectivity, while also prioritizing wellbeing and sustainability more than ever before."
Ben Griffin, OneWeb VP of Mobility.
The company has shared a summary of the Connected Passenger Report with the airline industry including key findings from the research. These timely findings clearly indicate a frustration with current connectivity solutions and provide a clear vision of what passengers really want from airlines post-COVID.
Post-pandemic, passengers prioritize quality of life more than ever before, and find frequent travel to be disruptive to their physical and emotional wellbeing. Current IFC services add to the stresses of travel for business and leisure passengers alike, and the survey highlights some of these top frustrations, including:
The prospect of Wi-Fi disconnection in the sky creates undue stress before the flight.
More than half … 59 percent … of passengers surveyed rated the current quality of IFC between ‘very poor’ to ‘moderate’ on a 7-point scale.
Younger digital native passengers are less tolerant of current IFC and dismissive of its usability.
60% of passengers surveyed agree that while the idea of accessing Wi-Fi in-flight is great, current connections aren’t reliable enough.
“OneWeb is proud to share the results of this survey with our colleagues across the industry, as we work together to better understand and address the needs and demands of modern air passengers," said Ben Griffin, OneWeb VP of Mobility. "The Connected Passenger Report sheds light on the shifting sentiment of passengers who are demanding better and more consistent connectivity, while also prioritizing wellbeing and sustainability more than ever before. These insights are incredibly important as we look to build solutions and inflight experiences that cater to the digitally demanding and socially conscious passengers of tomorrow.”
In a finding sure to alarm the IFC industry, 7 out of 10 respondents claim they’ve never tried inflight Wi-Fi citing perceived unreliability, cost and pre-established coping mechanisms as their reason for not connecting. 43% of those who have called the experience frustrating. As a result, passengers are generally reluctant to abandon their coping mechanisms and continue to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to preparing for disconnection during the flight.
“Despite the significant investment airlines are making in their IFC offering, it is clear the current in-flight connectivity experience is not consistently delivering on the needs of today’s connected passenger with a majority of passengers not even taking the time to connect," Griffin said. "The flying public have spoken, and these results underscore a huge opportunity for airlines to improve their passengers' experience, and loyalty by enhancing their IFC.”
Passengers were adamant that airlines which provide consistently high-quality IFC will stand apart from the competition and inspire loyalty.
To undertake the research for the Connected Passenger Report, OneWeb partnered with leading independent international research agency, TAG Research, to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative sample was collected in twenty-seven individual, hour-long interviews with frequent flyers across 5 key groups including corporate travel bookers, digital nomads, travel bloggers, and young frequent flyers. The qualitative data was obtained through a detailed survey completed by 4,110 individuals from across the US, UK, Singapore and the UAE.
“Our hypothesis at the outset of this project was that improved connectivity would be broadly welcomed by passengers and enhance their inflight experience," said Rachel Orgueil, Partner at TAG Research. "Our research revealed the benefits of IFC are far more compelling and extensive, with the potential to positively impact the entire travel experience and passengers’ well-being. There is every indication that airlines will need to provide high quality IFC as a standardized part of their offer once it is available.”
Over the coming weeks and months, OneWeb will delve deeper into the data and share additional insights with the aviation sector.
(Source: OneWeb news release. Image from file)