Wi-Fi is a priority even when booking a travel

The Wi-Fi connection importance is highlighted in the report “iPass Mobile Professional Report 2016”, published by iPass. The report is built on a survey realised on more than 1700 mobile professionals in Europe and US.

It is a fact that the majority of smartphones’ apps depends on Internet connectivity, including emails, maps and social medias. For this reason, having an Internet connection has become a priority in everyday life. 40% of surveyed people put Wi-Fi in first place among their daily needs, and even compared its importance to values like social needs or personal safety and security.

Nowadays, Wi-Fi connections are considered to be an improve in people’s life and indispensable all day long. Respondents stated that it has allowed people to work from anywhere (60%) and it is indispensable because of streaming and downloading facilities (60%). 52% of them said that Wi-Fi has also improved their travel or commute experiences.

Wi-Fi is widely preferred to mobile data services because of its speed, cost and general convenience. Its cost is the main reason of the preference (42.5%), even though mobile data services are considered more secure. If fact, free Wi-Fi hotspots are increasingly seen as an IT security risk. Notwithstanding, only 28% of respondents uses VPNs every time they connect to a free hotspot.

From the report we can deduce that the presence of a Wi-Fi connection is relevant when mobile professionals need to choose a hotel, a flight or a tourism destination. In fact, 72% of the respondents at least once booked a hotel because it had a Wi-Fi connection at their disposal. 21% of them consider Wi-Fi a priority every time they need to book an accommodation. Especially when in a foreign country, Wi-Fi is fundamental to mobile professionals in order not to spend too much money on Internet mobile data services and in order to organise on-the-go their travel experiences.

Source: iPass Mobile Professional Report 2016

An important point is the increasing demand for free Wi-Fi in airports, as it is a relevant part of mobile professionals’ business travels. In fact, almost 72% of respondents usually uses Wi-Fi in airports as long as it is free. But 19% of people said that they would be willing to pay for further connection, if required.

At Twissen we have observed that being able to use a Wi-Fi connection is becoming more and more important in travel experiences. Millennials, but also Generation Z travelling with parents, consider Wi-Fi a fundamental service. Airlines are considering this fact and soon all passengers will experience Wi-Fi while flying: AirFrance-Klm will offer it from 2017 in collaboration with GoGo. More airports, hotels, restaurants, bars and other venues are improving connectivity services, aware of the potentiality from new business models and revenues.

Twissen