Travelers may say they love having WiFi access in flight, but not many of them are willing to put their money where their mouth is.

While a recent survey of frequent fliers and business travelers found they value WiFi access more than meal service, free movies and other perks, the airlines that have adopted satellite WiFi access on their flights find that only a small number of passengers are actually willing to spend money to use it.

Enthusiasm for having WiFi was high in the survey done by the WiFi Alliance. Travelers said they would be willing to make significant sacrifices or change travel plans to ensure Wi-Fi access while in-air:

• 76% said they would choose an airline based on the availability of in-flight WiFi;
• 55% said they would shift their flight by one day if it meant having in-flight WiFi, and
• 71% reported they would opt for a flight with WiFi access over one that provided meal service.

The survey also asked travelers why they felt they needed WiFi for during their flight. Their answers:

• 40% said they view work-related travel as stressful and 64 % said they feel “on the clock” when they are traveling for work
• 50% of business travelers frequently take a “red-eye” flight because they must be reachable during business hours, but
• 82% insist that  WiFi would help them stay on top of projects
• among business travelers who have not yet used in-flight WiFi, 87% said they would check e-mail and 63% would log on to work-related systems such as sales and reporting tools if WiFi were available on a flight.
• Of the same travelers, 95% said WiFi access would make them more productive.

All this sounds like WiFi would be a hot commodity for airlines, right?

Not so. According to a recent Chicago Tribune story, there seems to be no rush to fork over cash for this imagined productivity.

On Virgin America, the first U.S. airline to offer WiFi throughout its fleet, only 10% to 15% of passengers pay for the service. On transcontinental flights, up to 25% of passengers take the service, airline reps told the Trib. (Virgin uses Wi-Fi services by Aircell, a company that provides mobile broadband for eight airlines.)

Most airlines that offer WiFi service establish their price point to match up with the flight length. The longer the flight, the higher the cost.

Some airlines, however, are considering free e-mail and IM service as a perk to some, if not all, travelers. JetBlue, for example, plans this freebie on 20 of its Airbus A320 planes beginning this year.

The WiFi Alliance folks are crowing about “pent-up demand for broadband Internet access in-flight and the wide range of potential business and personal applications.” But the real proof of the service’s value will come if they step up in increasing numbers to actually pay for it.

My guess? If one airline starts offering free WiFi on its flights, they’ll all have to follow suit — at least for their frequent flyer clientele. And then it’s just a matter of time before the WiFi wars begin in earnest.

The big problem with WiFi access is that many consumers are used to getting it for free in coffee shops, public access points and many hotels. That leads to expectations that airlines, so far, aren’t willing to satisfy.

Tags: airlines, in-flight, internet access, WiFi