Saudi Arabian Airlines' Airbus A330 passengers 'love' connectivity

Passengers on Saudi Arabian Airlines are making the most of the inflight connectivity on the company's Airbus A330 fleet, but not in the way the airline had predicted.
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That was the message delegates at the recent Inmarsat Aeronautical Conference in Munich heard from Hazem Sunbul, Saudi Arabian Airlines' general manager, product management.

The airline now has inflight connectivity, via Inmarsat SwiftBroadband provided by OnAir, on eight Airbus A330s, offering passengers internet and e-mail at GPRS speeds, onboard mobile calls, the ability to send and receive SMS messages, plus Wi-Fi.
 
Hazem outlined how analysts predicted airborne usage would follow a similar pattern to ground-based use, and voice calls would account for most of the inflight connectivity.
 
But in fact texting (SMS) and GPRS data (web browsing) has proved more popular. Inflight smartphone use has also proved more common than laptop use.
 
“Business travellers are depending more and more on smartphones and they like to keep their connectivity while in the air,” said Hazem.
 
“This may be because they find it harder to use laptops in an aircraft seat, or because they don't want their neighbours to see what they are doing. Either way they tell us they love the facility.”
 
The company has now had more than 200,000 inflight mobile customers who have sent more than 40,000 SMS messages and received around 100,000. They have also transferred more than 4Gb of data.
 
Broken down, total airborne data usage has been:
  • Voice calls out – 11%
  • Voice calls in – 19%
  • SMS messages out – 20%
  • GPRS data use - 50%
“Business travellers are booking long-haul trips (where we find the take up to better) with us, because we offer the service,” he said.
 
But Saudi Airlines has found that online payment via credit card is often seen as a barrier to usage and is working on a voucher system.
 
In terms of promotion, leaflets are handed out to passengers and they are also shown a video showing them how to use the system. This has resulted in increased usage.
 
Once the aircraft has reached altitude SMS messages are also sent to passengers about the service, as the airline has found that many leave their phones switched on.
 
Saudi's connectivity enables passengers to use their mobile phones just as if they are on the ground and the costs are in line with international roaming rates.
 
Other statistics from the airline showed that:
  • In-flight internet usage is typically light.
  • In-flight text and mobile data usage among passengers is similar to ground-based patterns for subscribers using their roaming mode when out of their native country.
  • Voice remains an important feature of in-flight usage, and Saudi Airlines has experienced no passenger complaints.
Mobile internet usage is now well established in Saudi Arabia with around 40% of the population having access – similar to the USA.
 
Saudi Arabian Airlines started life in 1945 with a single DC3. It now has more than 140 aircraft, carrying over 19 million passengers annually to more than 80 destinations.
 
It expects to take delivery of the first of 12 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in 2012. It also has orders placed for eight Boeing 787s, with the first delivery planned for 2014.
 
 
Saudi Arabian Airlines: www.saudiairlines.com

 

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