iPhones Flying High: Make Up 2/3 Of In-Flight Wi-Fi Users

If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies.

Why iPhone over Android?

The answer is simple. Uptake on wifi enabled flights are driven by 2 key things: 1. The length of the flight >3 hours 4-7x the number of activations vs. lengths of flights < 3 hours.
2. The airline. Virgin has a "hipper" demographic than say - Delta. (Delta also flies a lot of flights < 3 hours. So even when Delta flies 4x the number of wifi enabled flights - Virgin actually sells more activations. People that fly Virgin also have a larger % of iPhones than Androids.

So what do these two things have to do with iPhone vs. Android? The obvious choice: There are more iPhones in corporate America than Androids. Business flyers expense the activation fee or have a subscription (if they fly a lot). But wait you say - if this is true then Blackberry would be leading the pack. Ever try to use the internet on a Blackberry? On a plane flying at 550 mph? 'nuff said.

So it isn't that iPhone usage is higher than Android - it's just that people that buy wifi on flights - tend to be iPhone users. Or - another thought - iPhone users are use to paying for their apps - so iPhones users just spend more money than Android users.

TW

The issue with this logic is that it appears in every usage statistic I've seen. WiFi connections in restaurants, website traffic, app buying, etc. iPhone users just seem to be much more active in using their devices.

If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies.

Oh no you didn't! :)

Heh, it's so funny how we get story after story about Android's dominance when it comes to activation or total sales or sheer number of devices. But when it comes to usage, it's iOS that rules the world. What is it with these millions of Android users who don't use their devices to go online? Are they just asking for a "smart" phone, handed an Android, and thereafter only use the phone function with, maybe, the address book app?

If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies.

Roger that.

Why iPhone over Android?

The answer is simple. Uptake on wifi enabled flights are driven by 2 key things: 1. The length of the flight >3 hours 4-7x the number of activations vs. lengths of flights < 3 hours.
2. The airline. Virgin has a "hipper" demographic than say - Delta. (Delta also flies a lot of flights < 3 hours. So even when Delta flies 4x the number of wifi enabled flights - Virgin actually sells more activations. People that fly Virgin also have a larger % of iPhones than Androids.

So what do these two things have to do with iPhone vs. Android? The obvious choice: There are more iPhones in corporate America than Androids. Business flyers expense the activation fee or have a subscription (if they fly a lot). But wait you say - if this is true then Blackberry would be leading the pack. Ever try to use the internet on a Blackberry? On a plane flying at 550 mph? 'nuff said.

So it isn't that iPhone usage is higher than Android - it's just that people that buy wifi on flights - tend to be iPhone users. Or - another thought - iPhone users are use to paying for their apps - so iPhones users just spend more money than Android users.

TW

Book a flight based on how hip the airline is? :confused:

It's All About Affluence

If plane tickets were free you'd see Android ruling the skies.

That's right. Android may be more prevalent, but that's only because it's cheaper, not better. What these statistics tell me is that, for those that can afford to choose, they choose an iOS device. Flying's not just for the rich, but if you're flying and you're also dropping the coin on the WIFI fee, etc. there's a good chance you can afford whatever mobile device you want, and it would seem that's an iOS device.