- BY CHLOE ALBANESIUS
- JULY 2, 2014
The percentage of people using devices at cruising altitude barely budged in the last year.
It's been about eight months since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave U.S. airlines permission to allow the use of electronic devices at all stages of a flight. And while the move was met with much fanfare from airlines and travelers alike, it does not appear to have drastically increased the number of people using mobile gadgets in the air.
According to a Wednesday report from DePaul University's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, the percentage of people using devices at cruising altitude barely budged in the last year - from 35.3 percent in 2013 to 35.9 percent this year. Despite the relaxed regulations, that was the smallest increase in usage the institute has observed since it started collecting such data in 2010.
"Consumers are decidedly unenthusiastic about the change, since they still cannot surf the Internet, email, text or place phone calls during takeoff or landing, which can consume more than 40 minutes of flight time," Joe Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "We expected the new policies to encourage more consumers to remain 'powered up' from gate to gate, but that simply didn't happen."
Instead, it seems most airplane passengers prefer to read print materials, eat, sleep, or just take a break from screens and relax.
"Many still view being aloft as dead time, even when Wi-Fi can be purchased. A sizable share of flyers simply say 'to heck with it' and suspend technological pursuits until they reach their destination," Schwieterman said.
Back on the ground, however, use of personal devices on bus and train passengers is on the rise.
Passengers on the affordable, city-to-city bus services (like Megabus) are particularly active, thanks in large part to the free Wi-Fi and electrical outlets provided on those trips. In the last year, the number of connected passengers on these buses has increased from 46.4 percent to 59 percent.
Amtrak saw a minimal bump in device usage - from 52.1 percent to 52.2 percent. The study chalked that up to the flimsy cellular service along various train routes, something with which most bus passengers don't have to contend along major highways.
Amtrak is trying to change that; the organization is soliciting bids for a proof-of-concept project, which will help determine if a high-capacity broadband network is "technically and financially feasible to construct along the entire 457-mile Northeast Corridor.
Airlines, meanwhile, are also working on connectivity options in the sky. In April,AT&T said it will roll out a high-speed 4G LTE-based in-flight mobile service in late 2015. Gogo also recently announced its new 2Ku in-flight Wi-Fi technology, expected to launch on commercial flights in mid-2015.
Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features
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