People will give up an awful lot to have good Wi-Fi on flights

When did Wi-Fi become the No. 1 thing airline passengers want — nay, demand? Honeywell Aerospace conducted a survey regarding the technology’s availability, and some of the results might surprise you. While only a third of the 3,000 mostly American respondents said that Wi-Fi was the No. 1 amenity they needed, roughly 80 percent said it should “always” be available during flights.

But things get interesting, and a bit masochistic, when you ask people what they’d give up in return for wireless access. Sixty percent of passengers would rather have Wi-Fi than a reclining seat, and one in three would rather sit next to a crying baby during their flight than lose their connection. Twenty-five percent of passengers would give up 6 inches of legroom for premium Wi-Fi, and 13 percent of Americans, 17 percent of Brits and 22 percent of Singaporeans would give up their bathroom privileges. One survey respondent even claimed to have once used in-flight Wi-Fi to file for divorce, roughly the only thing that trumps bathroom privileges in our mind.