Michael Hatzidakis
Google Offers Free In-Flight Wi-Fi for the Holidays
As the holidays are coming near many individuals are planning exciting vacations, whether for business, with families, or friends. But, this holiday season not many people using air transportation will have to worry about losing connection with the Internet. Whether their prerogative is to keep clients happy or check their facebook statuses constantly they will have the opportunity to. The Google Chrome browser team has joined with AirTran, Delta and Virgin America to provide over seven hundred planes or an equivalent to fifteen million passengers with Wi-Fi connection during their flight. This is the second year in a row that Google has promoted free Wi-Fi during the holiday seasons. This Free Holiday Wi-Fi website exclaims that this deal will last from November 20, 2010 through January 2, 2011. An individual would simply search for the Gogo Inflight Network and connect your device. About two weekends ago I had traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to meet with customers of my fathers. During the flight I wished to access Wi-Fi connection, but there was a cost. For a four and a half hour flight the cost to access Wi-Fi on my mobile device was $7.95. This to me is worth it, but I would have loved to get it for free. Last year the users were sent to a page upon ordering the Inflight internet access that promoted the Nexus One, just before it was about to launch. Google, the number three browser in the world, is now using this opportunity to promote their new Google Chrome. This will enable many individuals to get rid of the time they waste on vacations making up for lost business. The time lost not only puts a halt to business productivity, but it can also cripple a business for that duration of time. Many flights are described as somewhat uncomfortable or people become antsy. Why not give people the opportunity to put together stock portfolios, play games, or send e-mails to a long lost friend. This was a big interest to me because this connection affected my personal life. While traveling back and forth to Las Vegas my father and I had to keep in touch and conduct business while flying. My father’s flight at first had no access to Wi-Fi, but mine did. In response my father switched flights and was able to use Wi-Fi for whatever he needed. This enabled him to keep in touch with the clients that were meeting him there so they would be content and more than satisfied. Also he was able to e-mail our hotel and make sure all of the accommodations for our customer and ourselves were met perfectly. There is nothing worse than traveling for half a day and than finding out your room is not ready yet. Also my father was able to purchase stock at a great discount that he would have otherwise missed if the e-mil had not come through. This form of wholesale that we are involved in creates opportunities that don’t come around as often as you think. So for any business including our own you always need to be in touch or able to be in touch with the Internet. This creation of Wi-Fi on airplanes has become a luxury and is one of the best innovations I have seen yet.
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2010/11/08/08readwriteweb-google-offers-free-in-flight-wi-fi-for-the-31395.html?ref=technology
1 comment:
Google offering free wifi for the holidays’ is something I am surprised has not been offered before by another web browser. Flying home for the holidays’ is something that millions of people will be doing this year, and if Google is the only one offering this service it may help their business. Also, the fact that they put a splash page up that advertises their new Chrome web browser is a great way to advertise. When someone is trying to use the wifi they know it is with Google, but just in case they forgot that page will help remind them. And maybe, just maybe, that extra little bit of advertising will help their new browser.
I know that personally this is something I would love to have on a flight. I usually take the train home and try to get work done on my way home so that I will have more free time once I get there. Not having Internet on the train limits the work I can do. Going to a school in a time where all assignments are on blackboard and many assignments require doing some sort of research on the Internet, having those capabilities during travel would be great. And everyone would benefit from this, not just students. Every time I am coming home there are a lot of students on the train, but also a lot of business people. A lot of people do work, but some people just watch television shows, and that requires the Internet too.
In terms of specifically flying, I think that is another place I would really like to have wifi to occupy my time. Beyond from just being able to use my time wisely to do work, it would just keep me occupied. Like many other people I am not a huge fan of flying. Having the ability to use the Internet to do work, watch a movie, watch a television show, check my email, check facebook, or do anything else would be a nice way to keep myself occupied during a flight. And being able to access the Internet for free would only sweeten the deal.
Since I can remember there have been the payphones on planes, and now Ryan Air is working on being able to use your cell phone while in flight. Many airlines have also installed screens in the back of headrests so that everyone could watch whatever they want, as opposed to when everyone had to watch the same movie if they wanted any entertainment at all. The use of cell phones and now hopefully free Internet is just another step to keeping people connected at all times. The fact is that with the way technology is growing now people are always connected all the time, and if public places and modes of transportation can keep up, it will only help them. Customer satisfaction is something all companies strive for, and this is just the latest way to make your customers happy.
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