One of the best ways to ensure your passenger will book another flight with you is to provide the best in-flight experience possible. This method will work for those who are not fans of flying (though perhaps your in-flight experience can change their perspective) and for those who travel more than not – and everyone in between.
Today, it is common to constantly be busy. Even during downtime, it seems like the perfect time to pull out our cell phones, check email, wander through social media sites, etc. So, when it comes to sitting in one spot for an extended period while in-flight, having some sort of in-flight entertainment is necessary. However, providing the best in-flight experience is the goal – and that means you need a few extra key perks.
Streaming capabilities (and other in-flight entertainment)
It is very important to many passengers that they can tap into some entertainment while on board the aircraft. Depending on the person, entertainment could be many different things, such as:
- Streaming movies and television shows. Or, even better – live tv.
- Reading newspapers, magazines, and other online news sources.
- Downloading and reading an e-book.
- Scrolling through social media – keeping up with your friends and being able to post while in the sky.
- Virtual Reality and the opportunity to play games. For an unforgettable experience, VR also allows you to transport yourself to places other than the airplane.
- Check email.
- Listen to music.
These days, there are specific inflight entertainment systems to help you provide entertainment to passengers. These are just a few of the things you can do. Not only will it pass the time quickly, but it will most definitely lead to a happy and contented passenger with a better in-flight experience.
The perfect seat
There is nothing that can ruin your in-flight experience like bad seating. So, what is the perfect seat? If you know someone who enjoys sitting in the middle seat on a packed commercial airliner, then you are rare. This is likely the most disliked seat of all. If you want happy passengers – don’t make them sit there! Instead, make every seat an aisle seat! Here are a few other ideas that will create the perfect seat:
- Provide flat-lying seats for resting on long flights. Or, provide seats that recline to 180 degrees.
- Privacy is always appreciated and can lead to happy passengers. Design your seats in a way that allows for privacy if it is wanted.
- Seating that has space to hold belongings – both big and small — is another characteristic of the perfect seat. For instance, if you have out your eyeglasses, your cell phone, laptop, and, let’s say, a travel pillow and the plane hits a bit of turbulence, the last thing you want is for your stuff to get scattered. If compartments are provided as part of the seating area, this could be avoided.
An elegant meal (and some stellar drink choices)
Eat on the airplane or eat when you land? Most would choose the latter. Airplane food has never really been anything to write home about. You can change that. Provide hot meals for your passengers that will impress! Serve the meal on actual dinnerware, rather than in plastic or disposable containers.
In addition to the food, having an impressive wine list can entice passengers, as well. Bring out the top shelf and see what happens! By doing this, your passengers feel special and appreciated, and it greatly improves their in-flight experience.
Amenities
Flying for an extended period can make a passenger long for their own shower and bathroom. While you cannot provide that for them, you can be kind enough to provide many of the amenities they may need. For example, items such as:
- A toothbrush and toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Comb
- Wet wipes
- Lotion
Or, any other item that can be useful to passengers while on long flights.
Ability to be productive
Last, but not least, it is important for some passengers to not feel as though they are losing time while in-flight. This is especially true of business professionals. After all, time is money in the business world and being out of the office doesn’t do anything but halt that. By providing the opportunity to access the internet – there are many things that can be taken care of. And, if privacy is given – even more!
This service provides passengers with the ability to:
- access to emails
- remote login to the ground office
- attend webinars
- join conference calls
In other words, they can work almost as if they are in the office! And this can diminish the feeling of wasted time.
A flight is just a flight until you add some important perks. Creating the best in-flight experience can make the difference between a successful travel service and one that is not so much.