Indian airline passengers are most confident in Asia Pacific about flying again, 90 per cent want to stay connected onboard

The findings highlight a renewed confidence in air travel as travel restrictions continue to ease. Three-quarters of APAC airline passengers feel confident flying again, a significant rise from just 6 per cent last year. On a country-by-country basis, India topped the list (88 per cent), followed by Australia and Singapore (79 per cent), and South Korea (53 per cent).

As appetite for travel rebuilds, airlines are now enhancing efforts to create the best possible flying experience. Inflight connectivity remains a leading factor that influences which airline is selected by APAC passengers, with more than four-fifths (83 per cent) more likely to rebook with an airline if quality inflight Wi-Fi was available, extending the increase from 78 per cent in the previous year. This factor is particularly compelling for passengers in India, with more than 9 in 10 (92 per cent) saying they are motivated to do so.

The heightened desire to stay connected while traveling is also evident with 90 per cent of travellers from India saying it is important to stay connected during a flight, compared to the APAC average of 74 per cent. Among the APAC countries surveyed, travellers from India are the most willing to pay more for their tickets if it meant reliable inflight connectivity, with 44 per cent happy to do so compared to an APAC average of 29 per cent.

This greater zest for travel and increasing demand for connectivity presents an opportunity for airlines to create more meaningful and compelling digital experiences for travellers from India and beyond.

David Coiley, Asia Pacific Regional Vice President, Inmarsat Aviation, said "As millions return to the skies, our latest APAC passenger experience survey offers valuable insights into how the expectations and behaviours of passengers have evolved since the pandemic.

"Inflight connectivity is a prime example. Passenger demand for fast and reliable Wi-Fi has never been higher, so providing access to such services is absolutely essential for airlines. This also serves as the foundation to enhance the overall onboard experience through digitalisation, which our survey results indicate will not only be embraced by passengers, helping to drive their future brand loyalty, but also unlocks even greater revenue generation opportunities for airlines in India and across the Asia Pacific region. Passengers are even telling us they would go without an alcoholic drink or a seat to ensure they get good inflight Wi-Fi."

The volume of APAC passengers who use digital devices inflight remains high at 96 per cent - mostly for administrative tasks and entertainment. In addition, 78 per cent have connected to inflight broadband when available on a flight, more than double the percentage from the previous year (38 per cent). This demonstrates how passengers continue to value top-notch inflight connectivity, suggesting airlines should prioritise the availability of reliable Wi-Fi and simplify the signing-up process for travellers to stay connected.

Travellers in APAC are also willing to trade for connectivity. 36 per cent of respondents say they will be willing to view advertisements and 32 per cent claim they will even give up alcoholic drinks inflight if it means having access to quality and consistent connectivity. Interestingly, close to one in three (29 per cent) travellers from India say they would be willing to go as far as standing for the entire duration of the flight if it meant access to reliable Wi-Fi onboard - the highest in the region.

Watching downloaded movies or TV shows was the most popular onboard activity passengers would engage in while connected - a figure that is unsurprising, considering that 45 per cent of Indian travellers indicated they would pay more to access exclusive inflight entertainment content while flying (compared to the APAC average of 32 per cent). In addition, Indian travellers would pay more for both unlimited downloads (34 per cent) and social media usage (33 per cent).

Although results show APAC passengers are willing to pay for better or more connectivity-enabled experiences during their flights, cost remains the single most prohibitive factor across all markets. Three in four (75 per cent) Indian passengers also believe that Wi-Fi should be free on long-haul flights, with fewer than half (46 per cent) saying the same for short-haul flights.

Like their peers around the world, today's post-pandemic travellers clearly value and even prioritise staying connected throughout their entire journey, including while in the air. As the demand for travel continue to recover and climb further, there are clear opportunities for airlines to tap into the demand for connectivity and offer passengers a richer inflight experience.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The full APAC Passenger Experience Survey 2022 report can be found herehttps://www.inmarsat.com/en/insights/aviation/2022/apac-pax-experience-2022.html

[1] The independent, statistically representative global research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Inmarsat in August-September 2022. The research was conducted among 11,231 respondents who have travelled by air in the past year, in 10 countries worldwide: UK: 1,507 respondents; Brazil: 673, Germany: 1259; UAE: 507, Saudi Arabia: 1,004; South Korea: 505; India: 1511; Australia: 1,002; USA: 2,261 and 1,001 in Singapore.

[2] Figure 1: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, how confident are you, if at all, travelling in the air today?

Inmarsat delivers world-leading, innovative, advanced and exceptionally reliable global, mobile communications across the world - in the air, at sea and on land - that are enabling a new generation of commercial, government and mission-critical services. Inmarsat is powering the digitalisation of the maritime industry, making operations more efficient and safer than ever before. It is driving a new era of inflight passenger services for aviation, while ensuring that aircraft can fly with maximum efficiency and safety. Furthermore, Inmarsat is enabling the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling the next wave of world-changing technologies that will underpin the connected society and help build a sustainable future. And now Inmarsat is developing the first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional communications network of the future, ORCHESTRA.

In November 2021, Inmarsat and Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies, to create a new leader in global communications.

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