New survey on air travel: On-time performance beats inflight Wi-Fi, passengers say

What do airline passengers care about when it comes to in-flight Internet? It may not be what you think.

A new survey from Honeywell shows seven in 10 airline passengers value a reliable connection more than any other attribute, including speed. Passengers were far more interested in technology that gets their plane to its destination on time – and they ranked “watching live TV” as one of their least important concerns.

What’s an airline supposed to do? How can they provide the Wi-Fi that passengers want while also making sure they have the technology that helps planes get to their destination on time and reduce operation costs? Simple: they use connectivity to do both and create the Connected Aircraft.

Enter the Connected Aircraft

The foundational idea of the connected aircraft is integration. It harnesses the power of data analytics with seamless connectivity to and from the aircraft.

For airlines, this means a reduction in cost per available seat mile (CASM), including as much as 5 percent in fuel savings, and a 35-percent drop in operational disruptions.

Passengers get access to the consistent, reliable and global Wi-Fi they are demanding, while flight operations get a more real-time data, reducing disruption and saving 5 percent in-flight time with air traffic control.

Finally, ground operations can reduce grounded time, avoid costly hazards and cut troubleshooting time by 25 percent.

Traditionally, maintenance crews respond reactively to broken mechanical systems. They often spend a significant amount of time assessing the condition of an aircraft once it lands, which leads to delays and grounded aircraft.

With connected maintenance, an aircraft can transfer data directly to maintenance crews to address any potential mechanical issue before it grounds the plane, saving time and keeping operations smooth.

With connected ground handling applications, ground handlers receive and distribute flight information more efficiently, improving on-time performance and, ultimately, passenger experience.

On-time takeoffs, easier assessments for maintenance crews, happy passengers and cost savings for airlines – It’s seamless, with the right connectivity.

The Future…

The real value of connectivity is more than cabin entertainment; it is in behind-the-scenes applications like flight data analytics, connected maintenance and real-time weather information that increase the number of on-time arrivals.

Most travelers will never know that a solid, global, dependable Internet connection was the reason they landed on time, or were able to avoid a storm and touch down early. The beauty is, they don’t need to. The connected aircraft simply delivers.