Flights are almost eponymous for their SkyMall magazine selling everything from over sized gnome statues to outdoor gazebos. Now patrons are able to shop for even more random things, with the intiation of eBay being accessible on certain airlines.
Delta Air Lines and Virgin America have enabled it so passengers can use the inflight Wi-Fi provide by Gogo to get free access to eBay, anytime the plane is about 10,000 feet.
Gogo's chief marketing officer Ash Eidifrawi, said to NBC News, "(We) recently launched our new multimedia platform that offers passengers access to numerous activities, including online shopping, gaming and (movies). Offering access to eBay definitely fits with this mission."
Other retailers that are capitalizing in on in-flight retail include Amazon, Zappos and StubHub on select airlines.
Creating free access to sites like eBay may entice passengers in the future to pay for the services like Wifi on planes. Currently only 7 to 10 percent of fliers take advantage of Wifi.
The resistance to use Wifi may not be the price tag. Norm Rose of Trael Tech Consulting said to NBC, "The resistance isn't necessarily the price; it's the value proposition. If the No. 1 thing you want to do is stream movies over Netflix, it can be a miserable experience."
The rate of of people using Wifi on planes will increase as download speeds increase said to Rose.
Currently Gogo internet access is accessible on more than 1500 commercial aircrafts including, "All domestic AirTran Airways and Virgin America flights have Gogo access. All domestic mainline Delta flights and select Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways flights," according to slashgear.com.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
