Aussie Airlines To Allow Uninterrupted Mobile Use During Flights 51
Bismillah (993337) writes "While you're in coverage during take-off and landing, at least. Passengers flying with Qantas and Virgin Australia might be able to leave their devices on from as early as September this year after the Civil Aviation Authority decided it was no longer unsafe to do so."
Wy not? (Score:2)
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Now they can sell Internet when phone calling abroad is already passé?
Because there's no coverage up that high.
Plus it makes it easier to sell internet services. You simply put a cell on the plane and charge for the connection to the cell (easy enough with a captive portal). Same with voice calls and SMS's.
But for the moment, QANTAS and Virgin AU dont even offer in-flight internet.
article summary is wrong (Score:5, Informative)
The article summary is completely wrong -- it mentions "while you're in coverage", to mean that you can leave the device connected to the network.
But from TFA: "Plane passengers will be allowed to use electronic devices weighing less than a kilogram in offline mode from gate to gate without needing to turn them off. The devices will need to remain in flight mode and cannot be used for calls, text or data, however."
So, all this really does is confirm the findings that the FAA had -- small devices are reasonable to use in airplane mode in all phases of flight.
Re:article summary is wrong (Score:4)
That is correct, but other companies do offer mobile coverage on board: I have flown with SAS planes with on-board GSM [aircraftin...tional.com], and whereas I did not try it (waaay too expensive rates, it's the new iteration of the airplane phone) I got signal on my device.
You still have to put the device in flight mode for take-off and landing, I assume because a few hundred mobile phones moving at several hundred km/h can overload or confuse ground stations.
WiFi is also made available only when cruising over 3000 metres, I assume because the Internet connection travels over the same data channel the GSM. You can't really play Youtube over the slow connection, but checking mail and reading newspaper is OK.
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Airlines like passengers to be paying attention during takeoff/landing since, in an emergency, the crew might need to give instructions and don't want to have to go down the plane telling everyone to remove headphones, etc.
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you can actually hear the PA system clearly with noise-cancelling headphones instead of just screaming children
FTFY.
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you can actually hear the PA system clearly with noise-cancelling headphones instead of just screaming children
FTFY.
No, he was right the first time. It is a question of hearing the PA announcements AT ALL, even without the engines on or any screaming babies.
This is why I simply cannot understand United's new policy of buying aircraft with NO entertainment system at all, not even one where you can just plug a headphone in so you can hear the announcements. It is a matter of cost savings over safety, and I hope it doesn't take a few deaths and serious injuries before the FAA acts to fix this problem. A couple of disabled
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This is why I simply cannot understand United's new policy of buying aircraft with NO entertainment system at all, not even one where you can just plug a headphone in so you can hear the announcements.
United and other airlines are seeing the trend of more and more people bringing their own devices and using those, thus they can save several hundred pounds of weight by removing the inflight entertainment systems. US Airways did this a few years ago. Southwest never had a built-in system.
But your point about the built-in systems' ability to be automatically paused when the pilots and flight attendants make an announcement is an interesting one; something I hadn't thought about before.
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I don't follow your reasoning. How the fuck could a mobile phone cause cabin depressurization? Besides, a depressurization is not a very difficult thing to deal with, as you should know. However, IF mobile phone signals interfere with flight controls and cause bizarre behaviour being at a high altitude is not much better, I'd say. In such a situation the last thing that will be on any passenger's mind is to shut offtheir phone. Assuming that they're even in a position to do so and haven't dropped it and it
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However, IF mobile phone signals interfere with flight controls and cause bizarre behaviour being at a high altitude is not much better, I'd say.
It has two significant advantages. 1. It doesn't run the aircraft right into the ground as a failure on approach or departure might, given that approach and departure are when the airplane is close to the gound. 2. It gives the flight crew time to determine there is a problem, fix it, or at least mitigate it.
A flight system that has an uncommanded pitch down can kill an entire flight of people if it happens close to the ground. The same failure will shake them up, maybe break a few bones as people get tos
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From my flight training, two things they say you can't have too much of - runway ahead of you, and altitude.
There are three things that are useless to a pilot: runway behind you, altitude above you, and fuel in the truck.
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I'd love to do it just to see the face of technician when he is called to solve the "problem".
Re:article summary is wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
The article summary is completely wrong -- it mentions "while you're in coverage", to mean that you can leave the device connected to the network.
But from TFA: "Plane passengers will be allowed to use electronic devices weighing less than a kilogram in offline mode from gate to gate without needing to turn them off. The devices will need to remain in flight mode and cannot be used for calls, text or data, however."
So, all this really does is confirm the findings that the FAA had -- small devices are reasonable to use in airplane mode in all phases of flight.
Despite the fact everyone on the plane already has their damned phone on, they are totally safe in call mode as well. If a cellphone can screw up the instrumentation of your aircraft, there's something wrong with the aircraft, not the passengers.
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Despite the fact everyone on the plane already has their damned phone on, they are totally safe in call mode as well. If a cellphone can screw up the instrumentation of your aircraft, there's something wrong with the aircraft, not the passengers.
It CAN screw up the instrumentation. It won't affect flight controls or engines, however, it can mess up with the radios.
You know sometimes you hear some noise in your speakers or headphones when you are about to receive a call. Pilot headsets are no different and will pickup cell phone radio noise exactly the same way. In another instance, a cell phone external battery pack leaked enough radio noise to open the squelch of a nearby portable air band radio. There are all personal experiences. And if you don'
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But from TFA: "Plane passengers will be allowed to use electronic devices weighing less than a kilogram in offline mode from gate to gate without needing to turn them off. The devices will need to remain in flight mode and cannot be used for calls, text or data, however."
So, all this really does is confirm the findings that the FAA had -- small devices are reasonable to use in airplane mode in all phases of flight.
This pretty much means nothing has changed.
Singapore Airlines changed their safety video about 3 years ago to say that "all transmitting devices must be in flight mode and stowed for take off and landing". Ever since flight mode became commonplace (think old Nokia's, long before the time of Android and Iphones) it's been this way. It's only recently that the Hoi Polloi got a phone that has the capability to dick around off-line. For the business traveller, it's long since been a case of put it in flight
In The States (Score:4)
We've had this in the states for a while now. Being a frequent flyer, I personally love it. I don't do a whole hell of a lot with mobile devices on the plan, other than get to my seat, turn up the music, and pass out. But it is nice to have that music from beginning to end of the trip to drown out the noise of the others on the flights.
Also something new and awesome. Alaska Airlines (and possibly others) now have USB and 110v outlets on the back of the seat in front of you. No more needing to rush to find outlets in layover airports!
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Icelandair has USB outlets as well. I love it! :)
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Alaska Airlines (and possibly others) now have USB and 110v outlets on the back of the seat in front of you. No more needing to rush to find outlets in layover airports!
A KLM flight I took from Schipol to Calgary earlier in the year had USB ports on all the seat-backs.
Just a shame the in-flight entertainment system was so damned unreliable - both the flight there and the return saw my screen crash, and the air crew said they couldn't do anything about it without resetting all the screens on the plane.
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Saw a cute little tux when it rebooted and I smiled a bit.
Did she have to bend over to unplug it?
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as long as ... (Score:2, Flamebait)
Re:as long as ... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's usually not a problem unless that person is American. See here down under we don't naturally assume everyone is an ass.
Just like here on Slashdot we don't assume the summaries are correct, or that people have RTFA which says that devices must still be in flight mode just no longer turned off, in which case I would seriously question why the person next to you is having a loud conversation with nobody.
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Nooooo!!! (Score:1)
After September watch for a strange increase in assaults that occur on aircraft.
Nooooo!!! (Score:1)
If someone speaks loudly on their phone during a long journey, shit your pants. Just let it all out.
The experience of shitty pants isn't as unbearable as hours next to a babbling cunt - you already know how your shit stinks - but their flight will ruined with an indelible memory for your seat-neighbour.
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If someone speaks loudly on their phone during a long journey, shit your pants. Just let it all out.
It's an interesting idea however I think I might choose to fart instead since it still smells like shit but it won't make me uncomfortable. Besides I usually let a good steamer go before I fly so I'm usually empty before take-off so it takes a while for one, you know, to be in the chamber.
The experience of shitty pants isn't as unbearable as hours next to a babbling cunt - you already know how your shit stinks - but their flight will ruined with an indelible memory for your seat-neighbour.
Thanks for the advice. It must have been some experience to smell your own shitted pants next to a babbling cunt.
Safer than thou (Score:1)
In the US, the ban was during takeoff and landing, for safety reasons, as there wasn't enough room for recovery efforts by the pilot.
Bans in use while cruising were FCC, not FAA, because your high speed confused and stressed the cell phone network, and had nothing to do with safety.
Good, but not the first ones (Score:2)