International flights with Virgin Australia have removed the FOMO factor (fear of missing out) as the airline flicks the switch on Wi-Fi in the sky, while Qantas begins the testing phase.
Sky high Wi-Fi for Virgin
Wondering whether your beloved footy team is getting over the line at the MCG while you’re on a Virgin flight heading overseas? Or how about chiming in with a pertinent email during a business meeting back in the office? The good news is this week Virgin Australia has gone live with its international inflight WiFi making it the only Australian airline to offer international WiFi.
Meanwhile, Qantas has loaded up Wi-Fi on its first Airbus A330 and is in testing phase with the aim of having Wi-Fi on domestic A330s and half its fleet of Boeing 737s by the start of July. Qantas is promising free Wi-Fi for passengers at speeds of up to 12mbps and have three quarters of its domestic fleet equipped with Wi-Fi by the end of 2018, according to reports.
For Virgin Australia, passengers travelling between Australia and Los Angeles can stay connected with family, friends, favourite TV shows, footy matches, or the news for the duration of their flight.
The introduction of inflight WiFi will bring relief to millions of Aussies suffering a ‘condition’ referred to as ‘net-lag’. The term refers to the inability to stay connected on flights, leading to feelings of stress and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Net-lag a red flag
New research commissioned by Virgin Australia reveals 70 per cent of Aussies confessed to having experienced ‘net-lag’ during a flight and feeling frustrated because they couldn’t access the internet. Additionally, over 65 per cent admitted to feeling overwhelmed catching up on emails, messages and other unread notifications once they landed.
Aussies indicated the ways they would use inflight WiFi if it were available on international flights including:
- Social Media to check Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (23.8 per cent)
- Stream movies or TV shows (21.3 per cent)
- Personal email and web browsing (16.5 per cent)
- Read the news (15.6 per cent)
- Instant message friends and family (14.6 per cent)
- Business/work email and web browsing (8.3 per cent)
More productive, more satisfied
The research also found 71.3 per cent of people felt their time on a long-haul flight would be more productive with WiFi, and more than three-quarters would perceive their flight to be more enjoyable if they could stay connected.
Rob Sharp, Group Executive at Virgin Australia Airlines, says: “Most of us use our phones on a daily – if not hourly basis – meaning it can be incredibly disruptive to have extended periods of time when you can’t connect with friends, family, colleagues, or what’s going on in the world. We’re proud to be the leader in providing Australians with greater inflight connectivity on international flights.”
Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines has also become the only Trans-Pacific alliance to consistently offer inflight WiFi across all Alliance aircraft, allowing guests to stay connected when travelling with either airline.
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