Travelers are not content simply with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages. These days passengers want to be entertained while flying.
Currently, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue are leading the way in offering in-flight entertainment by having video screens built into the backs of passenger seats. Personal in-flight video screens look impressive but they are expensive to install and maintain.
Airlines are expected to soon place servers on each of their planes thereby allowing wireless access to their travelers. Passengers would use their own wireless devices to access the airlines network. This approach is a low cost way to provide passengers content while in the air. Some airlines are expected to provide such a service for free while others charge for it.
Internet use in airplanes is minimal right now, but is expected to become a competitive required airline amenity in the future. Development of systems that provide faster transmission of information at cost effective prices are expected within a few years on a global scale that will make in-flight Internet the primary entertainment source on planes.
Airlines will have one hurdle to overcome before this becomes a reality. Electronic devices, especially smartphones, use a lot of power, especially if you are viewing streaming video. Laptops and tablets use less power, but often their batteries do not last long enough.
For Internet entertainment to become truly the preferred source of entertainment in the air in the future, airlines will need to install power ports at every seat. While this is a common perk in premium cabins on long haul flights, most coach seats do not have power ports today.
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