Up above the world so high, wi-fi

China Eastern Airlines charts a new course

As the first Chinese carrier to offer in-flight internet access, China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd is poised to commercialize the service in its wide-bodied aircraft next year once they get the nod from aviation authorities, a senior manager from the Shanghai-based carrier said.

"Since launching the commercial test on in-flight Wi-Fi last November, China Eastern Airlines has brought Wi-Fi connectivity to 43 aircraft, and the figure is expected to reach 54 by the year's end, which will exceed the total number of all Wi-Fi installed planes in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan currently," said Zhang Chi, deputy director of China Eastern Airlines' transformation office.

According to Zhang, more than 4,000 passengers per day with China Eastern used the free Wi-Fi service as of September, and by November, the carrier had expanded its onboard Wi-Fi service from 2,500 flights to 3,000 per month.

China Eastern has been taking the lead in in-flight Wi-Fi development in recent years, and the company got approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to use AsiaSat-6 satellite for Wi-Fi services on 21 airplanes from May, 2015.

Since November 2015, China Eastern has launched a trial run of the service, which allows passengers to apply to use the service either through reservations on its application and official website ahead of, or after, boarding.

"First class, business class, golden and platinum card holders, as well as the younger generation are the core customers using the in-flight Wi-Fi service," Zhang said.

After nearly one year of testing, the in-flight Wi-Fi service is ready for operation as problems that arose have lowered from 2 to 3 percent to 0.1 percent, Zhang said.

He is optimistic that the Wi-Fi service will become commercialized next year as all its wide-bodied aircraft will be available for in-flight Wi-Fi in mid-2017. China Eastern is projected to expand its wide-body fleet to more than 110 by 2020.

A detailed plan for onboard Wi-Fi costs is still under discussion, but Zhang revealed that China Eastern may raise special rates compared to international counterparts.

"As a value-added service, in-flight Wi-Fi is designed to retain high-end business passengers who believe internet connections are necessary," said Li Lei, an industrial analyst from Minzu Securities Co Ltd.

A growing number of major international airlines have added such services in their long haul international flights, to meet rising demand for internet connectivity especially for business travelers.

"The in-flight Wi-Fi service will offer an edge for the carrier in competing with its rivals in domestic routes, being attractive to its high-end passengers as well as young travelers," said Zhang.

"The Wi-Fi using habits monitored by us through the trial period will help decide the rates. For example, text messages on social media such as WeChat will be free of charge, but passengers have to pay if they want to send pictures or video chat; meanwhile, browsing financial news will be free, but transaction fees may be collected by the carrier if stock deals are done," said Zhang.

According to Zhang, research reveals that both Chinese and foreign passengers use social media apps the most, but financial information is the second most important need for the Chinese.

China Eastern is a pioneer in in-flight Wi-Fi service in the China aviation market. In July 2014, the carrier had its first aircraft equipped with onboard Wi-Fi services after $200,000 to $300,000 on prefabrication was spent on aircraft to serve flights between Beijing and Shanghai.

The in-flight Wi-Fi also provides direct ground support to the cabin crew in emergency such as first aid and special conditions, and allows for video conferences, diagnosis, and information on various transportation options, according to Zhang.

Compared to their global counterparts, Chinese airlines are latecomers in offering in-flight Wi-Fi services. But Zhang is extremely optimistic.

"We will catch up soon, just like what China is doing in internet and mobile internet areas."

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn