Not Free? Not For Me! Turning Away In-Flight WiFi

In-flight WiFi is still a novelty to me, even though apparently 950 planes in the U.S. are equipped for it. According to Dave Freeman's post on CrunchGear (July 6, 2010), people aren't buying it (literally) for a number of reasons, including the shortness of flights, and possibly the wish of businessmen to take a break from work. Less than 10% of travelers are using the WiFi service when it is available.

Maybe someone should have studied my inbound flight. In the month of July, Alaska Airlines offered free WiFi for one leg of my journey, and I was excited to try it. In my test, I used my iPad and my Android (note: yes, this IS the phone that knows it will be sent to the land of misfit toys, so stop asking). There was no issue about not having enough workspace. I also noticed that almost every passenger around me had a smart phone or netbook of some kind, so they were also trying out the WiFi.

This first in-flight WiFi trip was the quietest trip I have ever taken. Babies were entertained. Adults were watching videos on their own devices. People were catching up with text messages and emails. There was hardly a peep for hours, except to order a drink. My neighbors didn't even get up to the use the restroom.

Contrast that with the return leg home. Alaska Airline's free WiFi program ended on July 31, and I returned after that date. Approximately five minutes of "tease" time  -- free WiFi  for all -- was given, and then a message came on the screen, showing you how to purchase that same service for $9.99. Not to my surprise, the flight was a noisier one filled with crying babies and cranky people. There was a definite air of restlessness among the young people around me. Due to the shortness of this portion of my itinerary, I can't imagine many people wishing to pay for WiFi after coughing up $20 for their one piece of checked luggage.

On principle, I have never believed any business should charge for WiFi if the consumer has his or her own device. I don't blink an eye at the coffee shop around the corner, who offers a free, 15 minutes of Internet service with a beverage purchase in order to use their computers. However, I would glare at them if they charged anything for use of their WiFi if you brought your own device (lucky for them, they are spared my evil eye).  The purpose of offering WiFi in any business is to keep people informed, connected, entertained, educated, and/or able to purchase or sell goods at any time (i.e. to perform business on-the-go). The incentive for offering that WiFi free is for your customers to feel happy while they are experiencing one of those elements in your environment, and the hope is that a happy experience converts into future bookings. 

Did I buy WiFi for my return trip? Even though this was the first return trip I have been offered WiFi, I turned it down. Instead, I played several rounds of every game Chris Pirillo has loaded onto my iPad, since flights seem to be the only time I get a chance to try them out. I also noodled around with some of the new loop sets on Looptastic HD, an app that lets you become your own iPad DJ. And my neighbor, who had just bought a Kindle, started a conversation about whether she should return the Kindle and get an iPad after she saw the resolution on an eBook I had in my virtual library. For the length of that conversation, Apple should pay me a commission, because I think I sold at least three iPads on that flight (including two to the people behind me who were eavesdropping).

Could the airlines who offer WiFi ask their customers about why they should make in-flight WiFi free? Couldn't we start something similar to Foursquare for flights, only without geo location (i.e. rewards for tweeting, flying, or completing certain routes)?  Couldn't we bring some of the fun back into  flying by having free WiFi and creating a win-win for all, instead of watching the once-free benefits of free luggage check-in, food, and other amenities disappear?

Let me know what you think. Unless you're that one guy who thinks only first-class passengers should be able to Tweet for free.