WiFi tops in-flight entertainment wish list: research
In-flight WiFi has topped the list of passengers' most-wanted in-flight entertainment in new research conducted by leading global travel search site Skyscanner. According to the research, 47 per cent of passengers were prepared to pay to access the Intern
As a sign of today’s digital times, less than a third (32.4 per cent) of the 5,000 respondents said they would pay for newspapers or magazines on board.
With some airlines such as Emirates now offering live TV onboard, travellers were also asked if they would be prepared to pay for such a service.
While 36 per cent said they would pay to access live television, movies were more popular with 47 per cent stating they would part with cash to watch their favourite film. Video games also proved popular with a quarter of passengers prepared to pay extra to keep themselves entertained with in-flight consoles.
In the area of in-flight comfort, 62 per cent said they would pay for extra legroom given the option, while over half (56 per cent) said they would pay to sit in a two-person row of seats.
“We’re not surprised to see that WiFi is in such high demand with travellers, as this reinforces some of our recent research on the social media habits of travellers, many of whom aim to stay connected every day when they go away,” said Skyscanner spokesman Sam Poullain.
“It’s clear that on the comfort front, additional legroom is also still in demand and many people will choose to pay extra for this to improve their in-flight experience,” Poullain added.
Delving deeper into the research, the findings suggested that women are prepared to pay more in almost every category – except food. As expected, younger travellers are keener to pay for additional items across the board than their older counterparts.
Skyscanner, founded in 2003, is a global travel search site providing instant online comparisons for millions of flights, plus hotels and car hire.
