Wifi becomes a luxury necessity when you are on a flight. Maybe you’re used to getting on a plane, you can’t access the internet, because most airlines don’t provide free wifi. The policy of providing free wifi facilities for airplane passengers is still rare.
As reported by CN Travel, wifi facilities can be provided on the plane, if the airline installs the device on the plane. However, on-board wifi is an expensive item, as there is an additional charge imposed on passengers. Even though you have to pay a lot, the wifi on the plane is also not very good. So that the provision of wifi becomes less than optimal for passengers who have paid. Here’s why:
- If the passenger pays, it becomes the airline’s income
Passengers who pay for in-flight wifi facilities, of course, become a source of income for airlines. So, ‘if you can get income, why should you provide a free one?’ But actually a number of airlines continue to consider providing free wifi service in the future.
- In-flight wifi installation is expensive
Installing high-speed wifi on an airplane is not easy to do. The money spent by airlines for wifi facilities is not small, especially if you want good connectivity. The satellite internet company at many airlines in the United States, Viasat, said some types of aircraft could be installed with wifi while they were still in the manufacturing plant. So, when the plane is operating to serve passengers, wifi is already installed.
- The plane should be parked in a few days
In this case, the airline will have to stop their service for a few days for the installation of their in-flight connectivity hardware/system, which is used for wifi. Vice President of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, Jeff Sare, said aircraft must have satellite antennas, network modems, and a number of wireless access points around the interior.
All of these devices must be maintained, as the risk of damage is higher due to use while in the air. To install all the devices on the plane, it can take several days. Airlines themselves think repeatedly about parking their planes, which means losses and customer service is seriously compromised.