The entire fleet of low cost airline Mango, comprising six new-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, is now online with the G-Connect In-Flight Wi-Fi service. The last aircraft was fitted with the service last week and assumes service today.
According to Mango, the service has exceeded all expectations with over 250 GB (gigabyte) of data usage supported by an above global average take-up rate of 8% during the installation period. Traffic of approximately 9,000 emails, 1,678 tweets and 652 Facebook posts were logged with a total of 27,000 sessions during the beta phase, expected to end by November.
Mango and G-Connect are celebrating the completion of the fleet rollout by offering on-board connectivity at R 1 for a day pass and R 2 for a week’s access pass during October on all flights.
CEO of G-Connect, Carel van der Merwe, says that even while travelling at 855 km per hour through the sky, broadband at altitude delivers speed which compares favourably to the same broadband connectivity on terra firma. “The service has seen a 98% up-time throughout with usage, we anticipate, growing to a 12% uptake following the completion of fleet rollout,’ says van der Merwe. “Interestingly we have seen the majority of use focused on sending and receiving email, showing that the potential for upping productivity during a two hour flight has become an important business tool. We expect email traffic to increase by 60% over the next couple of months with social media posts likely growing in tandem with general usage increases.’ “We expect the same trend as in other parts of the world where 50% of business travellers take Wi-Fi enabled flights to be “reachable” during business hours. We are in a competitive age during which access to information and ease of communication enhance productivity. To this end effective connectivity is essential and Wi-Fi in the sky will soon become another standard amenity – travellers will change airlines just to have it.” says van der Merwe
Global research body IMS Research says that by end 2012 it expects global aviation Wi-Fi installations to reach over 3,000 aircraft, a 60% growth from 2011, with over 15,000 aircraft expected to be Wi-Fi enabled by 2021. Mango is currently the only airline on the African continent to offer the service.
