The first week of August signals the final stretch of the G-Connect in-flight Wi-Fi beta partnership period for Mango, as it welcomes its sixth new generation Boeing 737-800. Five out of the airline's six aircraft are now enabled with the service, with the sixth scheduled to come online at the end of September.

Marking the final home stretch of the beta phase, the airline and its partner, G-Connect, will discount all on-board Wi-Fi access by 50% during August between Johannesburg and Cape Town, while all social media functionality on Facebook and Twitter will be at no cost to travellers, bar video uploads.

"Uptake of in-flight Wi-Fi has been good," says Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout. "Approximately 8% of all guests on enabled aircraft are online during flight at this time. This is in line with global usage benchmarks. Discounting usage as we approach the end of the beta phase as well as opening up social media at no cost should drive increased adoption of the service." He says the airline aims to achieve at least 30% usage per flight by November.

"Accessibility, innovation and on-time performance"

Its market share on routes that it operates on has increased from 15% in early 2011 to just below 20% by June 2012. "Accessibility, innovation and on-time performance remain some of the cornerstones of our business," says Bezuidenhout, who adds that since its launch a little over a year ago, the Lanseria Cape Town route has experienced growth of up to 40% on certain flights. Demand for flights continues to grow and the airline recently carried its 8 millionth guest.