Inflight WiFi still isn’t taking off

Because of WiFi, people can still stay connected and go online, even when they’re on the go. WiFi used to be something more of an added perk or privilege, but many individuals now consider it a given when they frequent certain establishments, like restaurants or hotels.

Some companies have also chosen to capitalise on the fact that WiFi can also rake in more customers. In a marketing move, Nintendo had announced that they were going to be offering free WiFi for users using the Nintendo 3DS at airports. And it’s not just airports. The London Underground has also announced that they were planning to instal WiFi to 120 tube stations after favorable responses from the initial trial that they conducted last year.

With that much demand for WiFi, you’d really have to wonder why inflight WiFi still hasn’t taken off since it was launched. GoGo, which is currently the premier provider of air-to-ground WiFi services, has recently filed to make the company public.

Apparently, even though WiFi is very much in demand at airports, they aren’t really that hot once the passengers board the plane. According to data reported by GoGo, only 4% of the roughly 355 million passengers have paid for GoGo’s inflight WiFi services since its launch in 2008. Airlines that are GoGo-enabled include Virgin America, AirTran, Alaska, American, and Delta.

So why the unpopularity? One reason might be quality, as GoGo notes in its IPO filing: “Our network infrastructure and bandwidth may not be able to accommodate the expected growth in demand for inflight broadband service.” GoGo’s services also do not work when the plane is over a body of water.

GoGo offers a 24-hour unlimited Internet service for $12.95on Gogo-equipped flights. The company represents eighty five percent of all WiFi-equipped airplanes in North America.

Source – The Star