Indian air travelers most keen to stay connected on-board, says survey

Indian air travellers are keen to stay connected not only on the ground but also in the air. And that too on their own mobile phones.
   The Skyscanner survey of over 10,000 travellers across Asia Pacific shows that, across Asia Pacific, there is much less enthusiasm for allowing passengers to make calls on their mobiles while in-flight, with 51 per cent against their introduction. The figure drops even further among travellers from Europe.
The survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Indian air travellers favour the use of mobile phones on-board flights.
In a similar survey conducted earlier this year, an overwhelming 86 per cent of travellers said they were against the introduction of mobile phones on planes.
It, however, shows that Indian travellers are more tolerant of fellow passengers talking to friends and family back home.
“Only 18 per cent (Indians) would be annoyed by other passengers making calls, while this figure rises to 32 per cent across Asia Pacific. The figure drops even further among travellers from Europe,” the survey shows.
The Dubai-based Emirates airlines had recently said that it will allow passengers flying the Airbus A-380 to make calls on their own mobile phone through OnAir, their WiFi provider. “Indians find it important to stay connected with family and friends and thus it comes as no surprise that they back Emirates’recent announcement,” said Kavitha Gnanamurthy, Skyscanner’s Market Development Manager for India.

-B