Two-thirds of British travellers are not prepared to pay for infight wifi access, reveals the World Travel Market London 2017 Industry Report, released today (Monday 6 November) at WTM London
More than 1,000 British travellers were asked if they were willing to buy internet access on a flight. A resounding 67% said no.
However, there are some British travellers who are interested in being able to log on on board. Nearly three-in-ten (29%) would be interested in the service on long-haul flights, with one in ten ready to pay on short-haul flights.
The UK-focused findings from the World Travel Market London 2017 Industry Report are in sharp contrast to the headline findings from the 2017 Inflight Connectivity Survey, produce by Inmarsat and GfK. This study aggregated responses from 9,000 travellers in 18 countries and found that, overall, 77% of passengers would pay for inflight connectivity on short-haul flights with 89% willing to pay on long-haul flights.
Airlines have invested heavily in inflight wifi capabilities for their fleet. Some offer business and first class passengers free access as part of the tickets, others make it available to frequent fliers while others have a tiered pricing option. Overall, the pricing model varies by carrier.
The drive towards inflight access in Europe and the UK is being led by the long-haul full service carriers. Virgin Atlantic recently announced that it is the first airline in Europe to offer wifi on all flights; BA is rolling out wifi on flights, including short-haul; Emirates is committed to having wifi on every plane it operates.
A recent study from the London School of Economics identified inflight connectivity as a medium-to long-term revenue growth line for airlines. Revenue from charging for broadband access alone is estimated to reach $15.9 billion by 2035, compared with $822 million in 2018.
Airline can also expect to earn money through advertising, e-commerce and destination shopping and by charging extra for premium content.
World Travel Market London’s Paul Nelson said: “The airline industry is committing significant resources to providing inflight wifi access for passengers, so the finding that two in three Brits will not pay to get online at 30,000 feet might come as a surprise, particularly in light of some of the global findings”.
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises five leading B2B events across four continents generating more than $7bn of industry deals. The events are;
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 51,500 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL – London every November generating around £2.8 billion of travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/. Next event: 6-8 Nov 2017 – London.
International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) now in its 20th edition, is the meeting place for the global B2B golf travel community. More than 600 golf tourism suppliers join 350 pre-qualified buyers and 100 international press for four days of unmissable pre-scheduled appointments, exclusive networking opportunities and invaluable industry and trend updates. Taking place in a different destination every year, IGTM brings together 1,400 golf tourism professionals from over 65 countries. http://igtm.wtm.com/. Next event: 11-14 Dec 2017 – Cannes.
WTM Latin America now in its fifth edition attracts about 9,000 unique senior executives. The event generates US$ 370 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 7,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/. Next event: 3-5 April 2018 – Sao Paulo.
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/. Next event: 18-20 April 2018 – Cape Town.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history. www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than 7m participants.
About Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.
More information, please contact:
Paul Nelson – WTM Portfolio PR Manager
E.: paul.nelson@reedexpo.co.uk
T: +44 (0)20 8910 7032/ M: +44 (0)79 1955 5510
Natalia Hartmann – WTM Portfolio PR Executive