Mile High Mobile Usage

The following is a post from Dave Sniadak, Axiom's video specialist and resident airplane aficionado. You can find him on Twitter at @davesniadak.

When traveling for business, it's important to remain connected. In years past, it seemed that the 'commute' time we'd log while trapped inside an airplane gave us an excuse to catch some z's while on the clock. For the sake of productivity, however, mobile Wi-Fi providers like Gogo are changing the way we travel for business.

In a recent infographic posted by the airliner-based internet provider, the tech-savvy traveler could be considered Apple aficionados - nearly 78% of sky high Wi-Fi users logged on using iOS technology. Android users logged 15% of the mile-high mobile market share. And much like on the ground, Blackberry only enjoys a small slice of the providers' usage at just 4%.

Additionally, Gogo looked at the sites users are connecting to while online, and unlike my initial implication, passengers aren't researching new business leads or networking with clients...they're racking up frequent Facebook miles. The mega-social networking site was the most visited site for Gogo, while LinkedIn came in third. Foursquare was #4 on Gogo's list, perhaps due to their Mile High Badge, which users can earn by checking in while above 10,000 feet.

Finally, Gogo says that you can mix work and pleasure while soaring the skies at 35,000 feet. 67% of all Gogo users mix both work and pleasure surfing. That other 33%? Well, let's just say that's time well spent checking our eyelids for holes.

Two Airlines Unite to Stay Strong

By Sara Loca

Do you remember the days when you could carry a nail file and toothpaste on an airplane without threatening national security? Airlines have changed drastically over the past few years, and yesterday the industry transformed again: United Airlines purchased Continental.

Combining the airlines means combining the websites, which is expected to result in a huge spike in the commercial airlines’ website traffic share (11.67% total share). “Uninental” will soon be competing with Delta and Southwest for web dominance, and with 90 million Americans conducting travel research online, that’s a pretty important competition.

As with any purchase, there are concerns. Employee opposition isn’t new to mergers, but has a long history with United Airlines’ chairman Mr. Glenn F. Tilton. In 2002, employees went as far as wearing orange “Glenn Must Go” bracelets. There is also concern that the brands are too different and will struggle to find a unified identity.

Certain consumers are outright disapproving of this venture, including Matt Gross, "The Frugal Traveler" blogger for The New York Times.

There is no doubt the airline industry has more changes to come, but are all of these changes encouraging or discouraging airline travel?

Even This Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Who would've thought one little ash cloud would cause so much trouble?

Okay, shrugging off one of the most far-reaching natural disasters the world have seen in years as "one little ash cloud" is a bit much.

And while last Wednesday's volcanic eruption in Iceland fortunately hasn't resulted in any reported casualties, it has caused enormous logistical problems for 20 European countries.

Those problems include a huge drop in visibility, airline flights, and traveler patience throughout Europe over the past 6 days.

However, the ash cloud did cause a major spike in something other than the number of frustrated vacationers, with revenues of several airport-adjacent hotels showing huge increases for the week, and occupancy levels increasing 90% in some areas.

With major airports like Heathrow, Frankfurt Rhein-Main and Amsterdam Schiphol having postponed all flights since the eruption (and most likely staying cancelled until at least Thursday), the thousands of people who are stranded will continue to keep the surrounding hotels busy.