OneWeb has released initial findings from the company’s first, OneWeb Connected Passenger Report, an extensive survey of passenger attitudes toward air travel and inflight connectivity (IFC) in the post-pandemic landscape.
To undertake the research, OneWeb partnered with leading independent international research agency, TAG Research, to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative sample was collected in 27, individual, hour-long interviews with frequent flyers across five 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.
OneWeb is now sharing with the airline industry a complimentary whitepaper featuring the key findings from their 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 well-being. 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
- Fifty-nine percent of passengers surveyed rating 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
- Sixty percent of passengers surveyed agree that, while the idea of accessing Wi-Fi in-flight is great, current connections aren’t reliable enough
Ben Griffin, VP Mobility at OneWeb, said, “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. The Connected Passenger Report sheds light on the shifting sentiment of passengers who are demanding better and more consistent connectivity, while also prioritising 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.”
Griffin added, “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. 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.”
Read the OneWeb Connected Passenger Report at this direct link…
