Airlines told to catch wireless cabin fever

Demand among airline passengers for in-flight voice and data connectivity is at an all time high according to EU-funded research from independent consultancy ESYS.

Many airlines are already trialling in-flight internet services on limited routes, with plans for fleet-wide installations being discussed by most major carriers.

An online survey of 300 passengers has revealed few surprises in terms of the most common demands of passengers. Comfort and service and value are still the highest priorities. However, more than 50 per cent of respondents said connectivity is now also an important issue, with messaging using either email or SMS being the most popular, closely followed by use of a mobile phone.

According to separate research from SITA, by the end of this year 25 per cent of airlines will offer email and 22 per cent will offer SMS services to passengers onboard their aircraft. By 2006 these figures will rise to 46 per cent offering email and 45 per cent SMS.

In preparation for large scale deployments, the ESYS research is set to shape the design of the first completely wireless cabin, a project being backed by Airbus, Ericsson, Inmarsat and Siemens. And while this will merely be "proof of concept" at first, according to a spokesman for ESYS, the projects backers believe it is something which will certainly attract a lot of interest from an airline industry increasingly looking to bring more passengers back into the fold after a turbulent couple of years.

By linking the aircraft via satellite, passengers would be able to use laptops, PDAs and for the first time, mobile phones, which have been an absolute no-no on flights due to fears of interference with planes dials and navigation systems.

Dr Andrew Rogoyski, lead consultant for ESYS, said in a statement: "The research shows that today's 'always-on' society is leading to an increasing demand by airline passengers for in-flight connectivity. This presents an attractive business proposition for airlines keen to win-back passengers."