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Posts with tag airlines

House bill proposes ban on in-flight cellphone use

by Sean Cooper, posted Apr 17th 2008 @ 12:50PM

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.

Report: Americans get productivity shaft with in-flight phone ban

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 17th 2008 @ 8:58PM

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]

Norwegian Air rolling out in-flight phone use, internet access

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jan 16th 2008 @ 12:17AM


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.

Airlines announce bar code standard for cellphone check-ins

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 16th 2007 @ 3:59PM

It looks like the International Air Transport Association has managed to get the various airlines it represents to hop on the cellphone-as-ticket bandwagon in a big way, although it appears that widespread adoption of the technology is still quite a ways off. Unlike some other systems, this new standard consists of a bar code that passengers receive as a text message, which can then be read directly from the phone's screen when they arrive at the airport. The standard, which the IATA hopes will take hold by 2010, even goes so far as to incorporate various bar code systems in use around the world, including Aztec, Datamatrix, and the ever-popular QR codes. Of course, it's more than just convenience that convinced the airlines to sign on, with the IATA estimating that change could ultimately end up saving the airlines more than $500 million a year.

[Thanks, Laura. Photo courtesy of Adam Berry/Bloomberg News]




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