Etihad Airways, which next month becomes one of the few airlines in the world to offer fleet-wide inflight connectivity services, has witnessed a dramatic surge in Internet and mobile phone usage in 2014.
The growth was largely driven by people logging onto Etihad Airways’ Wi-Fi network, with usage rising by 80 percent last year, the airline said in a statement.
Increased demand for onboard mobile services also contributed to the surge in usage, with 2.6 million devices connecting to the airline’s onboard mobile network in 2014.
Inflight texts and mobile phone calls increased by 62 percent and 61 percent respectively, compared to the same period in 2013.
iOS was the most popular operating system onboard, with 55 percent of the airline’s guests connecting to the internet with their iPads and iPhones, while 30 percent used devices running on Android’s operating system.
Etihad Airways said its Live TV service is also attracting strong interest with an average of 50,000 hours of live news and major sporting events being viewed each month.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “We continue to redefine our guests’ air travel experience with innovative products and services, the latest communication technology and entertainment systems that best fit their needs.
“When people travel, they want to stay connected with their work, their friends and their family. They also want to be kept up-to-date with 24 hour world news services. This is now possible for the entire journey on an Etihad Airways flight.”
The airline’s connected fleet comprises 92 passenger aircraft including 29 Airbus A319/320/321s, 26 A330s, 11 A340s, one A380, 24 Boeing 777 family aircraft and the first B787 Dreamliner, which serve routes across six continents.
All future aircraft scheduled for delivery through 2015 will also be equipped with inflight connectivity. Packages to access the internet start at $5.
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