Americans want to stay connected wirelessly when they fly, but most don’t want to pay for it, according to a new consumer survey from Fly.com, an airfare search engine.
The survey of 500 US travelers this summer found that 80 percent want to connect to the Internet during flights and 66 percent want the option to talk on their cell phone.
But nearly half, 49 percent, do not want to pay a penny for WiFi service while flying and 27 percent said they won’t pay more than $5.
Although more than half, 55 percent, expressed concerns about the safety of using their cell phones during a flight, nearly a third, 32 percent, admitted they broke the FCC cell phone ban and intentionally or unintentionally left a cell phone on during a flight.
It is not clear that cell phones or other electronic devices actually pose any risk during flights.
In 2011, ABC News reported that the ”International Air Transport Association, a trade group representing more 230 passenger and cargo airlines worldwide, documents 75 separate incidents of possible electronic interference that airline pilots and other crew members believed were linked to mobile phones and other electronic devices.”
Grant Cardone, though, wrote over at Wired this year that “Cellphones on planes are not a safety threat.”
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Tags: cell phones on planes, FCC, Fly.com, safety, Wifi on flights
