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Nepal Airlines sacrifices two goats to fix a 757
We've definitely done some crazy things to fix our gear -- we swear our Sawtooth Power Mac G4 actually ran faster after we dumped a can of Diet Coke into it -- but we've never gone as Nepal Airlines recently did. Faced with intractable mechanical problems on one of the fleet's two 757 jets, authorities at the state-run airline apparently sacrificed two goats to the Hindu god Akash Bhairab (pictured in the airline's logo, to the right) in front of the plane, which promptly took the skies again problem-free. That's pretty much all the information anyone has, but Nepal Airlines has confirmed that "the snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights." We're not going to comment on anyone's religious beliefs here, but that had to have been the weirdest pilots' announcement of all time.
Could new airline regulations affect DS owners?
Traveling sucks. There's just no other way to put it. What is between you and your final destination is a maze of complications that one single blog post couldn't begin to cover. And, for gaming enthusiasts traveling with their hobby of choice, things just got worse.New regulations at U.S. airports dictate that those who're traveling with game consoles must remove them from their bags and process them as they would a laptop or DVD player. Of course, this doesn't affect personal electronics like MP3 players and, more importantly, your DS. But, could it in the future? Yes, and that's what scares us.
United offers gadgets aplenty in new Business seats
Not one to let Qantas get all the attention for its tricked out airline seats, United has now introduced some upgraded amenities of its own. In addition to offering some low-tech improvements like lie-flat seating, the airline's new United Business cabin also gets a boost in the gadget department, including some new 15.4-inch LCDs, a USB port, and an iPod adapter to let you charge your iPod and play your own music and videos on the seat's entertainment unit. You'll also get 20 channels of "stored XM-branded audio," with an additional 30 channels of other "stored audio" also available for you to create a playlist from, with some noise canceling headphones thrown in for good measure. Look for the first planes with the upgraded seats to roll out sometime this fall.[Thanks, Tom]
Laptop power, in-flight internet coming to Qantas
Those already giddy about their 2008 trip to Down Under should now pick up the phone and do whatever it takes to get on one of Qantas' forthcoming A380s or revamped 747-400s, as both planes will reportedly feature in-flight WiFi and laptop power. As if that weren't enough, the new A380s will even dole out power sockets to those in economy class, and while the in-flight entertainment system may be preferred by your offspring, we know you'll greatly appreciate the internet access and seat-mounted USB / Ethernet ports. Currently, Qantas has yet to divulge exactly how much these luxuries will run you per flight, and while there's still a few months remaining before any passengers are faced with such comforts while flying Qantas, we can't help but yearn for a first-class ticket complete with a 17-inch widescreen LCD. Hit the read link for a few more snapshots and the full rundown of extras.
Airbus gets Euro approval for in-flight calling system
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]
FCC hits brakes on in-flight calling (for now)
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]
All Nippon Airways giving away DS trivia game
All Nippon Airways are no strangers to the world of bizarre Nintendo tie-ins. But ANA Original Gotouchi Kentei DS (Local Trivia DS) is a special kind of weird: an updated ANA-themed version of developer Spike's (non)game about Japan trivia. The original version covered writing, geography, and other concepts in order to test players' knowledge of their home country. We have no idea what the new ANA version will be about-- airline history? Identifying famous places in Japan based on aerial photos? Airplane safety procedures?What we do know is how unlikely any of us are to see it. Only 3,000 copies are being produced, and they're being given away to ANA travelers along with DS Lites. So it's either flying the friendly skies or traversing the murky waters of eBay.[Via Famitsu]
Apple teams up with airlines for iPod integration
After selling your car, television, computer, house and children, you thought you were finally safe from this nasty epidemic of "iPod integration" -- think again. Now the nasty little buggers are going to start showing up in airplanes, since Apple is teaming up Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to add charging, audio and video integration for airline passengers. Is nothing sacred? Such seat-based connectivity should be available by mid-2007, and Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics to spread such integration to even more airlines. Five bucks to the first guy who figures out how to get such ubiquitous charging jacks to juice up our laptops.[Thanks, Zep]
Ryanair planning in-flight bingo, gambling
Singapore Airlines has its heavenly seats, and Virgin has textual Q&A sessions, so you knew Europe's low-cost leader in air travel had to find a gimmick of its own to implement before long. Should its in-flight calling proposal get the big thumbs-up from regulatory agencies, the airline is planning on giving customers the ability to play online bingo and a "number of other instant-win games" that will offer jackpots in excess of £200,000 ($380,000). To assist in promoting the in-flight gambling service, the company has teamed up with JackpotJoy to offer Ryanair's games on its website, and Ryanair's own CEO has already announced his plans to make "millions upon millions" off the deal. While we're certainly down with in-flight gaming creating lower ticket prices, encouraging gambling in order to so is admittedly dodgy, but if all goes as planned, you can roll your own dice starting in "mid-2007."[Via CNET]
Singapore Airlines creating electronic heaven for passengers
If you're tired of those frequent flyer miles becoming increasingly worthless, losing your in-flight WiFi, and the outright lack of sugar-coated peanuts, you may want to check out Singapore Airlines. Already the first airline to implement an in-flight IPTV service, SIA is now adding a touch of luxury (and gadgetry) to all three classes within its forthcoming Boeing B777-300ER and Airbus A380 aircrafts. First class customers, as expected, receive the most improved seating arrangements, as they're graced with 23-inch LCDs, complete with USB ports, power outlets, and noise-reducing headsets. Business class guests get their own 15.4-inch LCD, while economy seats rock a 10.6-inch edition. Although higher-end seats can morph into a full-fledged bed, all customers receive access to the airline's "KrisWorld" in-flight entertainment system, which boasts "over 1,000 on-demand movies, TV shows, games, and audio selections." Moreover, the snazzy monitors provide flight-wide access the built-in "Sun Microsystems StarOffice Productivity Suite," which reportedly supports "most popular file formats" for working on the go. While we're admittedly frightened to think what one of these oh-so-heavenly seats will cost, next month would probably be the perfect time to indulge in that long-overdue trip to Osaka (or Malaysia).
Japan Airlines offers DS Lites in-flight
Japan Airlines has announced that first and executive class passengers on its flights will be able to request a DS Lite simply by yelling HOLD IT! at the nearest flight attendant. Actually, they'd probably prefer that you ask politely, but as far as we're concerned they get what they deserve by failing to stock each plane with a hundred copies of Phoenix Wright. One of the numerous terms and conditions lists the fact that the DS Lites for JAL will be specially manufactured without Wifi. Apparently, a bit of multiplayer gaming isn't worth messing with the pilot's ability to fly the plane.Other amusing T&Cs: "Please read the game manual carefully before playing" - zOMG n00bs. "The service is limited to one console per passenger." - jeez, I can play at least three consoles simultaneously... in my sleep. "The Civil Aviation Law prohibits the use of these consoles during takeoff and landing." - good luck to the flight attendant tasked with retrieving two dozen DS Lites from a plane full of people claiming that they're "nearly at the next save point!" "If you do not experience at least seven bucket loads of fun after kicking Princess Peach's ass in Mario Kart DS, then you forfeit your right to be present on the aircraft. If you find yourself in this situation, please exit out of the nearest emergency exit. This T&C brought to you by Nintendo Corporation." - possibly a bit harsh, but we can see where JAL's coming from. See also: Scandinavian airline offers in-flight PSPs and Airports vending GBA, PSP portables
JetBlue snaps up bandwidth for in-flight services
Telephone? Broadband data? Something more sinister? JetBlue isn't yet saying what subsidiary LiveTV LLC wants to do with its freshly-acquired slice of FCC pie in the 1MHz range. What about live TV, you ask? The obvious answer for such an obviously-named company doesn't seem as obvious when you consider that they already have that angle covered through a deal penned with DirecTV; the spectrum had previously belonged to Verizon's Airfone service, making in-flight phone service more likely. LiveTV paid just $7.02 million for the license at auction -- a far cry from the billions traditional mobile operators have been known to shed on PCS bands, yet they could end up with one of a very small number of services keeping you in touch from the friendly skies. Since LiveTV is a wholly-owned subsidiary, it's possible that they'll be offering service to carriers other than JetBlue. So yes, the much-maligned Airfone appears to be fading away, but with any luck, airlines will be carrying on the time-honored tradition of charging multiple dollars per minute for the privilege of annoying your fellow passengers. Update: nope, sorry, the slice of spectrum wasn't in fact in the 1MHz band, but was in fact 1MHz in the 800MHz range -- totally different, and much more interesting, if you ask us. LiveTV's license expires in 2010, which means they only have three and a half short years to figure out whatever the hell it is they just invested that 7 million on, and put that spectrum to good use. Thanks, Simon. [FCC PDF]
