OnAir seeks to make inflight connectivity 'requirement' for airlines

As part of its largest order to date, OnAir will equip 90 Emirates A380s with connectivity that will enable passengers to make voice calls, send SMS text messages or use wireless data services (ATW Daily News,July 21). "Major airlines now are starting to recognize the connectivity that had been a 'nice-to-have' historically has moved [beyond] that," OnAir CEO Ian Dawkins told ATW. "If you want to be a five-star airline, it's something you have to offer."

Though inflight phone calls have yet to be approved in the USby the FCC and FAA (ATW, October 2009), Dawkins said, "Airlines that are using voice are very, very pleased with it, and there is no passenger concern at all." He added that "average communication time is less than three minutes. We haven’t had any complaints" from other passengers about noisy phone calls. EK had its first inflight mobile phone call two years ago (ATW Daily News, March 21, 2008) aboard an A340-300.

Oman Air, Royal Jordanian and Wataniya Air all use the full-service version of OnAir's inflight connectivity offering, based on SwiftBroadband from Inmarsat, which offers GSM and GPRS for voice, data and Internet. Installations on Emirates A380s will begin in early 2011. "The reality is once it's there, it becomes quite a requirement," Dawkins said. "The passenger is now expecting to use it."

Less than two months into his term as CEO, Dawkins said he will focus on key campaigns in Asia, India and the Middle East. He sees a need "to create a number of partnerships with other suppliers in the industry." He said, "The biggest thing I'm trying to do is get [inflight connectivity] to be a real requirement for the airlines." He revealed that OnAir recently reached an agreement with AirAsia that will be announced formally within the next 10 days.