The biggest problem with a new scheme -- particularly one involving you, technology and the TSA -- is the very real fear that introducing something fresh into a traditional system will create more havoc than good. As Grant Martin of sister blog Gadling discovered, there's a reason that belief exists. Upon realizing that he could utilize a mobile boarding pass on his flight from Detroit to New York, he excitedly pulled up a one-time use QR code on his iPhone and shuffled through to security. Upon reaching the checkpoint, he was greeted by a less-than-enthusiastic boarding pass checker who seemed to take entirely too long to send him onward; at the next step, the agent seemed miffed and discomposed by the fact that the passenger couldn't simultaneously rid himself of all electronics and keep his boarding pass on his person while passing through the metal detector. In the end, Mr. Martin concluded that the system holds a lot of promise, but it's still going to take some time before everyone else working at the airport adjusts to the year 2008.

Despite the on-again, off-again worries about in-flight calling interfering with an airliner's many navigational gizmos, we have to admit, there's a part of us that really loves to hear a story about what happens when someone actually has the stones to ignore federal law and breaks out the phone. That's exactly what Texan Joe David Jones did on a flight from Austin to Dallas last week, receiving a message on his cell -- which he'd forgotten to turn off -- about his father's health and felt compelled to return the call immediately. He ignored flight attendants' requests to hang up, spending some 20-odd minutes chatting away, apparently with no ill effect on the plane's ability to fly without exploding, barrel rolling uncontrollably, or falling out of the sky. We'd expected that such a blatant disregard for ignoring crew instructions would result in some jail time, but apparently the gentleman simply got slapped with a disorderly conduct ticket that carries up to $500 in fines. If we'd been in the seat next to him, we'd have probably hogtied him with his seatbelt and thrown his phone down the scary vacuum-powered lavatory toilet, but at least we know exactly what happens now when someone says "screw you" to the in-flight phone ban.

Handset addicts traveling domestically through Houston's Intercontinental Airport have likely utilized the paperless boarding option if hopping on a Continental flight, and apparently the initiative is going over so well that the aforesaid airline and the TSA are expanding it to three more venues. As of now, passengers traveling within the US can enjoy the same luxury at Boston's Logan International Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C; later this month, the program should slide into Newark International Airport in New Jersey. As expected, only folks traveling alone can take advantage, as the airline feels that pulling up passes for an entire group would actually slow the flow of boarding. There's been no word given on future expansion plans, but at this rate, we wouldn't be shocked to see it hit even more airports in the not-too-distant future.

[Via WBZTV]

This could -- at least temporarily -- put an end the nightmarish scenario involving you, lack of sleep, and some freakish chatty Cathy plopped next to you by the airline. Lead co-sponsor Rep. Peter DeFazio, hopes the "Hang Up" -- madly clever name here -- bill will stop Airlines from finding yet another avenue to gouge you and maintaining peace and harmony by banning any in-flight calling. Of course, the door will remain wide open for SMS, mail, IM, and other types of electronic conversation, but we're hoping Skype and friends are on the muzzle list, too.

This seems sort of obvious, but in case it wasn't crystal clear, a report from some company called Freesky Research points out that travelers on US airlines -- where cellphone use is categorically banned -- suffer an in-flight productivity hit versus their counterparts in Europe and Asia who are flying airlines that now allow yapping and / or data services from the comfort and convenience of their seats. The firm really makes it seem like a desperate situation, too, saying that the FAA, FCC, and other powers that be are "allowing other countries to leap ahead with in-flight productivity, while facing mounting evidence that there is no safety benefit to passengers." Perhaps what they failed to consider, though, is the safety benefit of not getting slapped by your neighbor when you're mouthing off on the celly for a good 40 minutes straight.

[Via textually.org]

Passengers on Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will soon have something to talk about... literally. The company is joining the growing ranks of airlines that allow mobile phone and / or wireless internet service on flights. According to the Scandinavian airline, the new features will be offered sometime later this year, and will be provided by a new subsidiary, Norwegian AS. Now, if only they'd allow smoking again.

The FAA's still hemming and hawing over how to handle the rather controversial issue of in-flight mobile phone use, but that hasn't stopped Europe's Airbus from pushing the issue on its home turf. Having already signed agreements with Ryanair and Qantas to provide service through its OnAir subsidiary, the company's been testing equipment to enable the use of GSM handsets for some time; the European Aviation Safety Agency's apparently pretty satisfied with how those tests have been coming along, too, having just blessed the system for commercial use. European travelers worried that this development is going to lead to a rash of incessant yappers on domestic flights can take some solace in the knowledge that flight attendants will be able to "manage" the service, even shutting off voice entirely while leaving SMS and data active. Look for OnAir service to drop initially on short flights in Western Europe, though Airbus intends to take it global -- if the FAA's cool with it, anyway.

[Via WirelessInfo.com]

The seemingly never-ending "will they or won't they" saga involving the FCC, the FAA, airlines, mobile carriers, and the extraordinarily annoying plane passenger sitting next to you has taken another unexpected turn this week. On the heels of a CTIA study suggesting that so-called "picocells" placed on planes to communicate with phones won't completely eliminate paralyzing interference with ground towers, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin suggesting that the feds should hold off on lifting the in-flight calling ban. Apparently, the big issue revolves around phones operating on bands that aren't supported by the installed picocell; in the absence of that local communication, the handset goes right back to mussin' and fussin' with the traditional towers several miles below -- potentially with disastrous effects to the network and other users, never mind the fact that no one's managed to conclusively prove that aircraft systems won't be affected. For what it's worth, the chairman's suggestion is just that -- a suggestion -- and doesn't prevent the agency's commissioners from approving the move anyway. While we're the first to agree that the thought of a couple hundred passengers yakking away in tight quarters is a starkly frightening one, we're not sure it's the FCC's place to be legislating away annoyances -- let the feds do their technical due diligence, we say. Word has it the picocells can be tweaked to fix the CTIA's concerns, and if that holds up, airlines will decide individually whether to let customers dial (or, at the very least, access data services) mid-flight. From there, we'll all be voting with our dollars.

[Via Techdirt]