Every day, millions of people travel throughout the world for business and leisure. It’s not unusual, of course, for many travelers to combine both work and pleasure. While there are quite a few ways to travel, an average of eight million people take airline flights, and 78% of these domestic flights are for leisure purposes.
When they’re flying, passengers engage in a variety of activities. While 17% of passengers prefer to take a nap or sleep on longer flights, 21% prefer to get caught up on their reading. Whether passengers bring magazines, books, or their eReader, this, too, can help them pass the time while they’re flying.
The remaining 41% of the survey participants indicated that they preferred to watch movies on In flight entertainment systems, or IFE systems. In 2014, Emirates was voted as having the best worldwide IFE systems, according to eDream reviews. Their in-flight entertainment system received a score of 4.48 our of five.
Some travelers will choose one airline rather than another when it offers free WiFi. According to TripAdvisor’s 2013 Air Travel Survey, this was the case with 25% of its survey participants. The travel survey also found that 37% of the participants believed iPads and/or tablets are essential carry-ons. This was five percent higher than their 2012 travel survey.
Since iPads and tablets may be needed for work, many business travelers may have issues parting with them. In addition to providing hours of entertainment during long flights, iPads and tablets can also be used to read, write, and conduct research.
TripAdvisor’s survey also showed that 56% of travelers are using their smartphones to check flight status alerts. This is ten percent higher than was reported in their 2012 travel survey. Given that so many more people have smartphones, it is an added convenience to be able to check alerts and other important travel information, such as flight delays.
Most passengers likely expect to have in flight entertainment when they travel, particularly on longer flights. When commercial airlines provide individual IFE monitors overhead or on the back of the seats, then passengers will be able to enjoy watching movies. Furthermore, when airlines also provide in in seat power along with airplane plug adapters, then passengers are able to have access to WiFi and use their devices. Together, all of these amenities make traveling aboard a commercial airline all the more enjoyable.
