Users and operators: Connectivity must be reliable, clear and trustworthy
In a first-of-its-kind study conducted with Viasat, we brought together both principals and professionals to share their views on in-flight connectivity. While both camps rallied around the same core values – reliability, clarity and confidence in service – the research also revealed some telling divides. Words: Fayaz Hussain
Users and operators: Connectivity must be reliable, clear and trustworthy
In a first-of-its-kind study conducted with Viasat, we brought together both principals and professionals to share their views on in-flight connectivity. While both camps rallied around the same core values – reliability, clarity and confidence in service – the research also revealed some telling divides. Words: Fayaz Hussain
For the first time, our annual CJI Connectivity Survey has measured the alignment between what principals think about in-flight connectivity and how well professionals understand those views. Messaging, email and browsing remain the top use cases on business aircraft, with growing demand for AI applications. But the research, conducted with our long-standing partner Viasat, also uncovered unexpected differences.
“At Viasat, our focus has always been on understanding not just how business aviation connectivity performs, but how it is experienced by the people who rely on it,” says Claudio D’Amico, Viasat’s vice president of strategic market engagement, Business Aviation. “This year’s survey reinforces why that approach matters.”
“The insights we’ve gathered highlight a market that is becoming more sophisticated, more demanding and more attuned to the difference between advertised performance and lived reality. They also underscore the need for solutions that deliver consistency, transparency and trust, rather than isolated technical metrics,” D’Amico adds.
Limited coverage and inconsistent experience remain the top frustrations for both groups. Beyond that, professionals cite high cost, unreliable equipment and low speeds, while principals point to poor support and costly upgrades. The pressure is greatest on large-cabin and super mid-size jets, where six or more passengers can mean upwards of 12 connected devices.
Both groups also agree that speed metrics need to evolve, shifting from standalone performance figures toward real-time, holistic reporting. Viasat’s proposed Quality of Experience (QoE) score, which uses AI and advanced analytics to assess multiple network metrics simultaneously, was viewed positively by nearly all respondents.
Read on as D’Amico answers six key questions from this year’s survey.
What are your greatest frustrations about in-flight connectivity?
CJI: What key messages about in-flight connectivity emerge from this survey?
Claudio D’Amico (CD’A): As the industry experiences significant change – driven by a surge in private travel and rapid advancements in satellite communications – we expanded this year’s research to capture both sides of the market: the principals who use connectivity in the air, and the professionals who support, operate and manage it.
What emerges most clearly this year is that the definition of a great in‑flight connectivity experience has matured. Speed may dominate industry conversation, but it is not what matters most to passengers. Instead, three attributes form the core of what both groups expect: reliability, coverage, and consistency.
What’s particularly interesting is how the motivations behind these priorities differ. Principals are focused on the lived experience of being connected – whether they can work, communicate, or relax without disruption. Professionals, on the other hand, are acutely aware of the operational burden and reputational risk when systems fail. For them, reliability and consistency are not just customer expectations, but critical operational requirements.
CJI: What new trends emerge from these results? Do these findings confirm trends noted in previous research or echo previous predictions?
CD’A: One of the clearest developments is the growing divergence in how principals and the wider business aviation ecosystem interpret in‑flight connectivity. Although both agree on the same foundational priorities – reliability, coverage and consistency – their thoughts about frustrations are shaped by very different realities.
Principals’ responses show their biggest pain point is still limited coverage, with nearly half citing it as their top frustration. At the same time, we see a sharp rise in principals’ concerns around the flexibility of service plans. A substantial proportion now identify inflexible plans as a key source of frustration – a trend that has grown significantly year‑on‑year.
A particularly interesting finding emerges when we consider the role of global coverage. Principals consistently place it among their highest priorities, yet at the same time rank regulatory approvals – which fundamentally enable that global reach – at the very bottom of their list. This paradox suggests they assume global operability as a given. They only become aware of regulatory constraints when they disrupt service, which in turn amplifies their frustration around coverage gaps. It’s a reminder that some of the most complex elements of delivering worldwide connectivity are invisible when they work, yet highly visible when they don’t.
Taken together, these trends show a market that is becoming more sophisticated, more experience‑focused and more aligned around the need for transparent, holistic performance measurement.
CJI: How do professionals’ thoughts on in-flight connectivity use differ from principals’ views? Or are they broadly similar?
CD’A: This year’s data provides one of the clearest illustrations yet of how principals’ in‑flight behaviours are evolving – and how differently these behaviours are perceived by the wider business aviation ecosystem. While both groups agree that messaging and email remain core in-flight activities, their views diverge significantly when it comes to how principals use connectivity on board.
The most striking shift is the rise of AI as an essential in‑flight tool for principals. Today, 97% use AI to some degree, and regular use has increased sharply year‑on‑year. Principals are clearly embracing more advanced, data‑driven workflows at altitude, whether for business analysis, decision support or personal productivity. Yet professionals underestimate this dramatically, with only a small proportion believing AI is often or always used. This gap highlights a broader trend we see throughout the survey: principals’ digital behaviours are evolving faster than the assumptions embedded in much of the industry.
We also see this divergence in entertainment patterns. Principals are increasingly turning to live, real‑time content – such as sports or news – reflected in a rise in live TV viewing and a concurrent drop in video‑on‑demand streaming. Professionals tend to assume more traditional patterns of use focusing on messaging, email and legacy entertainment formats and may not yet fully recognise these shifts.
What ties these findings together is the difference in perspective: principals care about the lived experience of being connected in the air, while professionals are focused on supporting the operational activities that have historically dominated onboard connectivity. As principals adopt new tools and real-time services, the need for a seamless, reliable, globally consistent connection becomes even more important. These evolving behaviours intensify the pressure on the underlying connectivity system – and reinforce why reliability, coverage and consistency sit at the top of both groups’ priorities.
What do you use in-flight connectivity for?
What size aircraft do you currently travel on regularly?
CJI: How will this data help to inform your connectivity planning?
CD’A: Viasat has always placed a strong emphasis on staying ahead of customer needs, and this year’s survey provides an even more valuable lens through which to do that. By examining the perspectives of both principals and professionals side‑by‑side, we can clearly see how expectations are evolving and where the industry’s priorities are converging. These insights act as an important validation of the conversations we have every day with OEMs, MROs, operators and partners and they ensure our product roadmap continues to reflect the real‑world demands of the business aviation community.
The findings also affirm that the investments we have made across the Viasat network and our flagship JetXP service are aligned with what matters most on board today. Reliability, coverage and consistency – the ‘core three’ priorities that both principals and professionals repeatedly emphasise – are exactly the areas where we have concentrated our efforts. Over the past year, we have announced a five‑fold capacity boost over major US hubs on the east and west coast, uncapped global speeds across all service plans and a multi-orbit future. These steps directly address the need for a dependable, always‑available connection regardless of mission profile.
At the same time, the growing appetite for more transparent, experience‑based performance metrics – including the overwhelming support for a single, AI‑powered Quality of Experience score – reinforces the importance of innovations like our In‑flight Quality of Experience (iQe) metric. iQe translates complex network data into a simple, intuitive indicator that reflects real passenger experience, moving beyond speed to measure what customers genuinely value: stability, predictability and performance that lives up to the promise.
Together, these insights ensure our planning remains rooted in actual user behaviour and expectations, enabling us to continue delivering a connectivity experience that reflects how business aviation is truly used today – and how it will evolve tomorrow.
CJI: Any surprises in this data and if so, why?
CD’A: One surprise is the widening gap between what principals find frustrating and what professionals believe frustrates them. For example, a significant proportion of principals now cite inflexible service plans as a major concern – a point largely underestimated by professionals. At the same time, frustrations around low speeds have fallen sharply year on year, reinforcing that speed is no longer where principals feel the experience is falling short. Instead, they are becoming more vocal about under‑delivery. A growing number report that the performance they experience does not always match what was advertised. This rise suggests that, while the industry continues to spotlight headline speeds, principals are evaluating their experience through a different lens – one defined by reliability, coverage and consistency rather than theoretical maximum throughput.
How involved are you in choosing the in-flight connectivity system for your aircraft?
How would you feel about connectivity providers offering a single Quality of Experience (QoE) score – a simple indicator that shows the overall in-flight performance – using AI and advanced analytics to continuously assess multiple network metrics?
CJI: Anything else to add?
CD’A: At Viasat, our focus has always been on understanding not just how business aviation connectivity performs, but how it is experienced by the people who rely on it. This year’s survey reinforces why that approach matters. The insights we’ve gathered – from the priorities and frustrations to the evolving way principals use connectivity in the air – highlight a market that is becoming more sophisticated, more demanding and more attuned to the difference between advertised performance and lived reality. They also underscore the need for solutions that deliver consistency, transparency and trust, rather than isolated technical metrics.
These findings validate the direction we’ve taken with JetXP and the broader evolution of our network. By expanding capacity, enhancing global coverage and removing speed caps across all plans, we are investing precisely where principals and professionals tell us investment is most needed. And with our forthcoming In‑flight Quality of Experience (iQe) score, we are responding directly to the overwhelming desire for a clearer, more intuitive way to understand performance – one that moves beyond speed and reflects the actual experience on board. It brings together the reliability, consistency and coverage indicators that matter most to passengers and presents them in a way that empowers operators and owners alike.
Ultimately, what this survey shows is that expectations are rising, and the industry must rise with them. For Viasat, that means continuing to innovate across our satellite network, multi orbit development, terminal technology and partnerships, while staying anchored to a simple principle: delivering a high quality, dependable connectivity experience, wherever and however our customers fly. Our long-standing position in business aviation gives us a unique perspective on these needs, and we are committed to leading the market towards a future defined by greater clarity, reliability and confidence in the connectivity experience.
In-flight connectivity has traditionally been measured by speed. What are your views on this?
Claudio D’Amico – caught on camera
For more detail on how changing connectivity demands are shaping the industry, don’t miss our video interviews with Claudio D’Amico, Viasat’s vice president of strategic market engagement, Business Aviation. These are available via the digital edition of Corporate Jet Investor H1 2026.
