The pace of business today places ever-increasing demands on your time. Now, more than ever, executives must be constantly connected to effectively manage their business and their personal lives — and that remains true on a corporate jet.
Some call it an office in the sky. And, while the connectivity experience in the air can be similar to what we’re used to on the ground, there are some differences — primarily, that the office on the corporate jet is moving at 500 miles per hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet. At that speed and distance, enabling a quality connectivity experience can be challenging. But, today’s systems are delivering more bandwidth and higher speeds — often meeting or surpassing expectations. With that in mind, let’s break down some common misconceptions about inflight internet for corporate jets.
Myth: Inflight internet for corporate jets should provide an experience just like your office on the ground.
Reality: It can, but it's not always true.
Inflight connectivity has come a long way. Email, VPN, phone calls, texting and web surfing during flight are comparable to being on the ground. And, current inflight connectivity systems are powerful enough to support video conferencing, sending large files, or streaming a movie (everybody needs a break now and then). But, it’s not always perfect. Wi-Fi performance also depends on other factors like available network capacity, the number of people on board, and where you are flying.
Research Tool: Key considerations when choosing an inflight internet network
Myth: Data security is a big risk with inflight internet.
Reality: Threats to your data are real, but they are no more significant in the air.
Gogo’s network operates on the same CDMA technology as some of the world’s most trusted wireless brands. If you trust your wireless provider to deliver a secure connection, you can trust Gogo to do the same from your corporate jet. Furthermore, you can leverage your corporate VPN to provide more security, if that’s your preference.
Dive deeper: Hear from Gogo's Chief Information Security Officer about how your information is kept safe in the air.
Myth: Inflight connectivity isn't affordable enough to justify the benefits.
Reality: It used to be that adding inflight internet to most corporate jets was akin to adding a luxury pool to a tiny home.
Today, however, thousands of corporate jets are connected because the opportunity cost of flying unconnected far outweighs the cost — it's an investment. The average compensation for a Fortune 500 CEO is $10.5 million per year. That means that an hour of their time is worth about $5,000. And that’s just the CEO — think about the time of the other passengers on board, and you start to see the business impact of flying unconnected.
Case-in-point: Costs in the cockpit? An added benefit to the bottom line could be reducing pilot app subscriptions. Read how inflight Wi-Fi enabled this corporate flight department to stay on budget by accessing the same information online, rather than through pilot apps.
Myth: Most executives are okay with being offline and unreachable for a couple of hours during flight.
Reality: While that might have been true in the past, in today’s mobile world, two hours can seem like an eternity — life, and business, happens fast.
1 More than 8.5 billion emails are sent every hour worldwide, and the average person checks their phone six or seven times per hour 2. It is becoming increasingly important to be reachable during business hours. Executives need to stay on top of business, as well as keep in touch with loved ones. A single email or text left unanswered for an hour or two can mean the difference between an opportunity won or lost. Not to mention day traders and those who need to keep track of markets in real time.
Real life examples: See what flying connected versus disconnected looks like.
Sources:
1. https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-emails-are-sent-every-day-1171210
2. https://www.businessinsider.com/dscout-research-people-touch-cell-phones-2617-times-a-day-2016-7
