Whether it’s visiting family in another country or heading to a nearby city for a business meeting, everyone has a reason to travel. With reliable and safe travel options only continuing to become an important resource for millions of people across the world, aircraft companies have put updated inflight technology high on their priority lists. Customers old and young have differing tastes, but one major commonality are readily available inflight entertainment systems when they’re getting from point A to point B. If you’ve considered installing new IFE monitors or want to learn more about customer preferences, look below to learn more about modern airplane travel in the United States and around the world.
Travel Around The World
More than eight million people fly every single day, with some years seeing record-breaking numbers. The year 2013 the total number of passengers exceeded over three billion, surpassing previous marks by a significant margin. Direct spending by both resident and international travelers in the United States averaged $2.5 billion per day, which is around $105 million an hour and nearly $30,000 per second. As such, it’s incredibly important for aircraft companies to stay on top of customer trends and preferences to provide the most comfortable and meaningful traveling experience possible. This can include installing IFE monitors or changing seat designs to be more accommodating to a wider variety of people.
Customer Trends
While people who travel by plane do so for a variety of reasons, there are multiple trends that link them together. More than three out of four domestic trips are taken for leisure purposes, though many do so for business or moving expenses. Holidays, such as Christmas or New Year’s, will see a surge in travel compared to certain times of the year. Surveys have shown a significant portion of airline passengers preferring to watch movies throughout their flight, at over 41%, with another 21% of passengers engaging in books or magazines. Around 17% of airline customers prefer to sleep, leading to some of the most common preferences below. These include, but are not limited to, available technology, comfortable seating and a variety of entertainment options.
Customer Preferences
There have been many studies conducted to better analyze what customers want to get out of their travel experience. According to TripAdvisor’s series of surveys in 2013, a significant 25% of respondents would choose one airline over another if they offered wi-fi services. Nearly 40% consider an iPad or tablet an essential (up 5% from the previous year) and over half use smartphones for flight status alerts (up 10% from the previous year, as well). One of the most common complaints from airline passengers concerns a lack of legroom as well as uncomfortable seats and basic food options. Surveys are routinely updated year after year to properly reflect changing time and attitudes concerning safe and reliable travel choices. Even now, aircraft display systems are one of the most dependable options.
Ideal Technology
Manufacturers work night and day to provide aircraft carriers with up-to-date inflight entertainment systems, aircraft displays and appliances. IFE (short for inflight entertainment) monitors provide crystal clear imagery and a variety of sizes, to be installed in seats or in the ceiling depending on the make-up of each plane. Considering a near-majority of customers prefer to watch movies or shows while traveling, IFE monitors and related technology such as tablet chargers have become indispensable as of late. Wi-fi is still one of the most important options for customers who choose a traveling service, as well, and should be considered a basic necessity. When considering the needs of your travel services, look first to aircraft interior products and how they affect your customers.