A new report from the MIT Sloan School of Management calls for a change in how in-flight connectivity is measured in the business aviation sector. The report, titled ‘Redefining In-Flight Connectivity in Business Aviation: What Really Matters to Private Jet Passengers’, points out that the industry has relied on peak network speeds as the main indicator of connectivity quality. However, this approach does not reflect the needs of private jet passengers, who require stable connections for activities like joining board meetings, closing deals, or streaming important events without interruption.
The report suggests that the industry should move away from speed as the only metric and instead focus on broader Quality of Service (QoS) indicators such as latency, jitter, packet loss, and bandwidth. It also recommends prioritizing Quality of Experience (QoE), which translates technical performance into simple measurements that passengers can easily understand.
“Peak network speeds have been the primary measure of business aviation in-flight connectivity performance for too long. However, a single, holistic QoE score analyzing several key metrics provides a more sophisticated measurement – one that looks beyond what the network delivered to whether users accomplished their objectives without friction,” stated Michael Schrage, Research Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management and the report’s author.
“In business aviation, where even momentary outages can ruin multi-million-dollar deals, the move from engineering metrics to experience outcomes must be navigated at altitude and speed. It’s a fundamental shift that recognizes connectivity as mission-critical infrastructure, impacting passenger satisfaction and aircraft utilization. Longer-term, it can evolve with smart AI-driven approaches that predict and optimize outcomes in real-time, not just measure them.”
The full MIT Sloan School of Management report is now available for download.
In response to the report’s recommendations, Viasat has introduced a new approach for its JetXP in-flight broadband service. The company has launched the iQe (In-flight Quality of Experience) concept, which aims to measure connectivity by focusing on the real-time experience of each passenger. This new application uses artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to monitor a wide range of network metrics and provides a single QoE score for easy understanding of connectivity performance.
“It’s clear that the business aviation industry is shifting its focus from peak speed alone to the overall quality of experience. But what’s the best way to truly measure that, as outlined in this MIT report?” said Kai Tang, Head of Business Aviation, Viasat. “Our new iQe application provides the answer. This unique concept delivers direct visibility into JetXP’s connectivity performance for principals, flight crews and other stakeholders, incorporating all relevant network metrics and presenting the findings in a simple and easy-to-understand format, which aligns with MIT’s recommended approach. It will be available early next year through major app stores as well as a browser-based version, with secure login credentials to ensure user privacy.”
JetXP combines Viasat’s Jet ConneX and Ka services under one brand, using the company’s Ka-band network to deliver high-performance global connectivity. The service has over 2,100 customers and offers features such as uncapped speeds and increased network prioritization. Viasat’s regulatory approvals in regions like India and China, as well as its partnerships with Collins Aerospace, Gogo, and Honeywell for customer service and support, help ensure reliable service worldwide.
Viasat has also expanded network capacity in key regions, including a five-fold increase in the United States, which accounts for a significant portion of global business jet traffic. This expanded capacity supports data-heavy applications like HD video conferencing, streaming, and generative AI across multiple devices at once.
