By Relaxnews, Updated: 21/06/2012

Cathay ponders joining the Wi-Fi revolution

Rising costs have airlines across the world looking for ways to save on expenses and the immediate effect seems to be on in-flight entertainment and just how it is delivered to us all.

Cathay Pacific is the latest of the world's big airlines to announce it is considering altering its in-flight services, doing away with the traditional chair-mounted screens and the miles of connecting wires they require on each aircraft. Instead, like more and more airlines, Cathay is contemplating in-flight Wi-Fi options for the movies and the music it offers to passengers.

"It's the next generation of in-flight entertainment," the airline's chief executive John Slosar told the South China Morning Post.

Cathay says, however, it will wait around five years before implementing the plan as it wants to ensure most people traveling will also by that time be carrying tablet computers which can access the Wi-Fi options.

More and more passengers to bring tablets on flight

China Southern Airlines has claimed at the moment only 10 percent of its passengers are doing just that -- and Cathay wants the number to reach 85 percent of all passengers before it makes the switch.

But other airlines have been quick to jump on the trend. The budget carrier Jetstar -- run under the umbrella of Australia's Qantas group -- didn't wait for passengers to take the plunge into the tablet market, buying 3,000 iPads to hand out for use on its Australian routes, and it has said it plans to buy more.

Qantas itself is currently conducting trials on a Wi-Fi system and another Asian budget carrier -- the Singapore Airlines-run Scoot -- used its launch at the start of the month to herald the fact that it had been able to cut its craft's weight by seven percent by providing iPads stacked with films, games, TV and music.

Scoot's service is free to business class but those in economy have to either pay or face a pretty quiet flight.

"Pay-for-play" services mean passengers can take films home

Meanwhile, American Airlines got in on the act last year with passengers now being offered a "pay-for-play" streaming service for their tablets, and Virgin America will roll out a similar service before the end of the year, with the prices expected to stick to the industry norm of US$5-7 for films and US$2 for TV shows, which of course they can finish off at home if time runs out.

The airline industry estimates are that such options will cut a plane's weight by a least a ton -- thereby cutting into fuel costs.

And some in the industry have signaled the move could also spell the end of that time-honored time-passer -- the free in-flight newspaper or magazine.

"Even the paper and magazines passengers carry can be downloaded onto these [new] gadgets," an official from China Southern Airlines said.