Passengers flying from Delhi to Chennai , for example, can now enjoy a full Bollywood movie if they like while those flying shorter distances can have their choice like TV shorts, interactive games and music.

It will be a welcome change for domestic passengers who were forced to shut their personal devices like cell phones under government regulations. Known as WiFi streaming service, Jet Airways passengers can connect their personal electronic devices to the aircraft server and enjoy free entertainment.

This is the first step in Jet Airways’ plan to eventually transform its inflight entertainment experience into a full broadband enabled WiFi connectivity which will allow passengers to enjoy a range of services such as internet surfing, email, social media, connecting flight information, instant messaging, among others. Of course, this will be subject to regulatory approvals.

Jet Airways is the first major domestic airline to begin the service in six Boeing 737 flights on the Delhi -Mumbai route and will be available across its 75 aircraft by March 2017. Other airlines are bound to follow sooner than later. Vistara, the joint venture full service carrier of the Singapore Airline and the Tata Group, has already begun this service on its flights said to be keen to start its inflight service.

Internet access so far has been denied to domestic passengers because of regulatory restrictions. This is uncalled for as most international carriers give this facility to passengers, of course on payment. Indian domestic flyers too deserve this facility.

In an age of rapidly advancing technology, DGCA lags far behind in keeping pace with international flying standards . Denying internet access negates the very concept of digital India that the present government is so fond of flaunting.

Streaming of entertainment content on personal devices is becoming popular globally and it is only fair that airlines make use of this platform to benefit passengers. Young flyers and people on the move prefer to use their personal devices like cellphones and laptops for work or entertainment while travelling. This is the reason why busy international airports have equipped themselves with free WiFi for passengers. Imagine the plight of passengers on long distance international flights if they are denied on-board entertainment.

Domestic passengers are now choosy with increasing number of young executives on the move on official assignments hard pressed of time . Jet Airways will be the most preferred airline for this class of passengers.

There have been suggestions in the past about serving alcoholic beverages on domestic flights. They were dismissed instantaneously. It has been a taboo for the airlines to serve alcoholic beverages not because they do not like it but purely on account of government restrictions. Gone are the days when India was considered a country of snake charmers and mendicants. India is now among the fastest growing major economies of the world. Indians are occupying top positions in technology and engineering companies around the world.

Airlines will be more and more under pressure for providing passenger amenities of world standard. By putting restrictions , the Government will only stymie their growth.

In a literally high flying sector like the airline industry, government cannot and should not interfere beyond a point, especially when more and more foreigners are coming into the country for business and leisure travels.

Airline business is a capital intensive industry. Any addition in service will only affect the bottom line. But Jet Airways believes that it can make up by advertising revenue over a period of time. It is true that brand conscious big companies target high end customers to sell their product and they liberally splurge on inflight advertisements.(IPA Service)