Flying by plane has become an incredibly common mode of transportation in the United States as well as in many other places around the world. In fact, in just one single day as many as eight million people take off at least once throughout the course of the day – and some even more frequently than that (as is often the case in connecting flights). Over the period of just one calendar year, more than three billion people will fly in an airplane at least once, and the number only continues to grow and grow as the years pass by.
There are many reasons that people choose to fly in airplanes as well. For one, some people must take flights in order to go on business trips. While driving is one way to get from place to place, it is often not very time efficient. For the businessman, flying is usually much preferable, and even essential if he is planning on going overseas for business purposes. But while business flyers make up a good deal of airline passengers, more than seventy five percent (seventy eight percent, to be exact) of all airline customers are those who are traveling for the purposes of leisure, often bound for an exotic or unknown destination. After all, seeing more of the world is a dream shared by many, and going there by plane is by and large one of the fastest and most efficient ways to get there.
Depending on where you might be going, it is likely that your flight will be a lengthy one. Maintaining the comfort of the passengers on even the longest of flights is essential, and can, in many ways, be provided by the operating airline. For instance, the inclusion of IFE monitors can make a huge difference, as IFE monitors allow passengers to watch movies and even television on state of the art screens (and as more than forty percent of airline passengers will watch at least one movie during their flight, the importance of this should not be underestimated). IFE monitors can also be instrumental for informing passengers of important safety information at the beginning of the flight as well as the flight progresses. For these reasons, IFE monitors are an integral part of inflight entertainment systems. And in-flight entertainment has even begun to evolve outside of the use of IFE monitors, with many flights even offering free WiFi – or WiFi for a small fee, depending on the airline that you are flying with. Wifi is important in particular for those who are hoping to get some work done on the plane, making good use of their hours in the air and wasting not even a minute. Wifi has become so integral to our world as a whole, however, that a full quarter of airline passengers in the United States said that they would pass over one airline in favor for another airline that offered Wifi services.
Other services should also be provided on both domestic and international flights that (at least start off) originate in the United States. Such things include overhead individual seat lights, so that each passenger is able to choose the level of brightness that they experience. This can be particularly crucial for flights that go on during the night hours, as more than twenty percent of passengers read but more than fifteen percent of passengers (seventeen percent, to be exact) prefer to try to sleep.
From IFE monitors to overhead lights, there are many things that must be taken into consideration when it involves passenger safety and comfort. For instance, blankets should be offered on overnight flights, and many airlines have even begun to offer complementary headphones, another must for many. And many people also like to receive a beverage as well as whatever free snack is offered by the airline, providing them with a little bit of sustenance over the course of their flight, no matter how long it might be.
Airline travel is often hugely convenient, but there is nothing that says it cannot be comfortable as well. Comfort should always be considered in travel.