Passengers hope to see the future of air travel to involved improved quality, fair pricing and enhanced customer loyalty programmes — but also want to see sky gyms, panoramic windows and AI integration
Travellers imagine the future of air travel to include robot flight crews and sky gyms.
A new report by communications company Viasat has found that passengers hope to see high-quality connectivity, more personalised and innovative flight experiences and enhanced customer loyalty programmes in the future for air travel.
The 2024 Passenger Experience Survey revealed that 75 per cent of passengers would be more likely to select or rebook with an airline if quality inflight Wi-Fi was provided and one in five wouldn’t even consider a long haul flight that didn’t offer connectivity.
Two fifths of respondents also said access to their own streaming services like Netflix would improve their in-flight experience, while a third said the ability to listen to their own music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, would have the same effect.
Passenger dreams don’t stop at personalised entertainment services, with 92 per cent of respondents curious about the innovations they may see on their flights in the future. Over half (55 per cent) are keen to see enhanced entertainment and sensory in-flight experiences, including panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows, mixed reality windows displaying digital information about passing landmarks and VR entertainment systems on immersive, wrap-around seatback screens.
Just over half (51 per cent) want services that will improve their comfort and wellness, like biomimetic seating that adapts to their bodies, health and wellness sensors and in-flight spa and gym areas.
Passengers are also interested in the role AI can play in improving their in-flight experience, including recognising their food and beverage preferences (33 per cent), providing recommended destination itineraries (33 per cent) and even optimising the airport transfer process (33 per cent).
“This report is a glimpse into the future of connected air travel, where low cost, high quality connectivity is increasingly non-negotiable,” said Don Buchman, vice president and general manager, commercial aviation at Viasat. “Flying in the near-future will be characterised by unprecedented levels of personalisation and choice within a more technologically advanced environment – all of which can only be enabled by highly robust, reliable connectivity.
“The airlines that are the first and fastest to embrace this direction of travel are likely to enjoy considerable commercial advantage and customer loyalty as a result. By harnessing the power of high-speed, reliable connectivity, we can unlock a new era of passenger experience with our airline partners – those that ignore this, risk getting left behind.”
Shelli Brunswick, futurist and innovation expert, added: “The future of the in-flight experience is about crafting adaptable, immersive spaces that transform each journey into a personalised escape. Connectivity is foundational to this; delivering seamless high-speed, stable connections that support passengers’ needs for productivity, entertainment, and real-time engagement.
“To meet escalating passenger expectations, airlines can draw inspiration from the space sector, where technology has transformed operational efficiency and human-centered design in extreme environments. Through strategic upgrades, airlines can elevate passenger satisfaction and build loyalty, creating a new standard for the in-flight journey and positioning airlines as platforms for continuous digital experience. Leveraging such innovations will enable airlines to remain competitive in a digital-first travel market, turning flights into transformative, tech-enhanced experiences that set a benchmark in the aviation industry.”