Nearly 50% of business travellers want airlines to provide wireless internet connectivity on board their planes, according to a new survey.

The 12th annual Barclaycard Business Travel Survey showed that despite a generally poor appetite among passengers for being able to use your mobile phone on board, a significant number want to be able to connect to the internet using their wireless device. The desire is greatest among 18 to 30 year olds, the survey found – two thirds say they want onboard wireless. This proportion falls to 40% among 51 to 65 year olds.

The survey, which polled the views of 3,000 business travellers, also found that 36% of respondents had reduced the amount they travelled in 2007 through using technology. 46% of respondents said they had resorted to using the phone more, while 15% had increased use of web conferencing and 14% the use of video conferencing. Despite this, 88% of male respondents felt that technology was less effective than face to face meetings, compared to 75% of women.

Denise Leleux, director of commercial cards at Barclaycard Business, said: “As business travel continues to rise, so too does the need for technological advancements designed to save travellers’ time and money. Travel technology is constantly evolving, enabling them to do the things they want regardless of location. The future growth of business travel is inextricably linked to the advancement of technology – be that technology to book travel, in-flight technology or payment technology. The next few years will be exciting as we see advancements across a range of devices and services.”

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BACKGROUND

• Inflight mobile phone trials slammed

• Ofcom grants approval for in-flight mobiles

• Young business travellers want on-board wireless

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• USA says no to midair phonecalls

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• Airline survey: where we stand on in-flight mobile phone calls