airlines
Latest
House bill proposes ban on in-flight cellphone use
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.
Majesco's Air Traffic Chaos to pull up to DS terminal this summer
Majesco, obviously annoyed with being told to put away approved portable electronic devices until after take off, has announced that its next game for the Nintendo DS will put controlling air traffic in players' hands. The aptly titled Air Traffic Chaos will allow players to direct numerous aircraft takeoffs and landings as an air traffic controller. The game marks the second DS release from Japanese studio Sonic Powered, a primarily mobile phone game developer behind From the Abyss for the DS and MiniCopter for the Wii.Details are few and far between, though Majesco notes that the game will include Rumble Pack support and describes the gameplay as "frantic" as players "safely manage takeoffs, gate assignments and landings for all incoming and outgoing airport traffic for 14 different airlines in varying weather conditions." While we're sure safety is the goal, the urge to play chicken in the not-so-friendly skies might just be too much to resist when Air Traffic Chaos takes off this summer.
Report: Americans get productivity shaft with in-flight phone ban
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
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.
DOT bans checked, loose lithium batteries on flights
If you've been feeling like you didn't already have enough zany and / or pointless Department of Transportation rules to abide by, you're in luck! Starting January 1st, 2008, you can no longer pack "loose lithium batteries" into your checked luggage on flights. If your battery is attached to a device -- or is packed into a plastic bag -- you're okay. According to the report, "Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage," though, "The rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage." The new ban is related to lithium batteries' propensity to explode, and not due to any terrorism concerns. We're not sure what they're getting at with that plastic bag rule, but this should make everyone's already complicated travel plans just slightly more annoying.[Via Gadling, image by rbrwr]
Airlines announce bar code standard for cellphone check-ins
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]
Japanese planes ban Wi-Fi gaming systems
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Japanese airplanes no longer allow gaming systems with wireless functions to be played on board. The revised law went into effect Monday and passengers are asked to not play systems like the Nintendo DS. Apparently Japan's transport ministry concluded the "electromagnetic waves emitted by the consoles have the ability to interfere with aircraft navigation systems and other devices."Passengers are still allowed to use game systems that don't have wireless communications functions, so hopefully you didn't throw out that GBA yet. Wireless computer mouses and headphones not provided by the airlines are also banned now. No word yet if American planes will implement similar rules, but if they do they'd better drop the cost of liquor 'cause we'll be damned if we're actually going to start reading on flights.
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.
RFID Limited unveils designer BagChip luggage tags for the elite
It's not like we haven't seen RFID in luggage before, but a highly focused company is looking to make that niche blossom into a thriving industry with its latest BagChip system. RFID Limited is currently marketing its chipped luggage tags to airline industries as a means of reducing human error and decreasing the amount of luggage lost in transit. Additionally, the company is adding a dash of glitz and glamor to its BagChipElite lineup, which will reportedly be designed to match luggage crafted by the likes of "Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton." Of course, there's nothing like a little knockoff material to grace the side of your entirely overpriced luxury bag, but unless the company lands approval to use the branding of these high-end boutiques, we guess you'll end up with second rate pattern mismatches. Nevertheless, there's no hard details regarding when we can expect to see these hovering around in airport kiosks and travel shops, but until RFID Limited sweet talks the airlines into providing support, we doubt this gets very far.[Via BoyGeniusReport]
Europeans working on anti-hijacking software
Even though air travel has gotten marginally safer since the tragedies of 9/11 -- thanks in part to fortified cockpits, increased air marshal presence, and a ban on toenail clippers -- it still doesn't seem impossible for a group of determined individuals to hijack a plane and turn it into a deadly missile. And should such a suicide-style attack happen again, the only surefire way of protecting targets on the ground would seem to be shooting the plane out of the air -- a nightmare scenario that no one wants to see. Well, soon airlines may have another, much safer option at their disposal in the form of a software platform being developed by a consortium of 30-odd European businesses and research institutes that would make an aircraft's systems completely unusable in the event of a cockpit breach -- control of the plane would be passed to officials on the ground -- even if one of the hijackers was among the 1337est of hackers. The $45 million program is being spearheaded by Airbus (already big fans of auto-pilot), Siemens, and the Technical University of Munich, with the first results of the collaboration scheduled to be revealed at an October conference in the UK. Here's to hoping that the group comes up with a working solution sooner rather than later, because this is one technology that just can't be deployed quickly enough.
Virgin installing telemedicine systems in every plane
Air travel is about to get just a little bit safer -- though not in the anti-terrorist, heavy-handed security type of way -- thanks to Virgin Atlantic's impending fleet-wide rollout of a device that allows ground-based doctors to remotely diagnose passengers in medical distress. The airline has just announced a deal with Remote Diagnostic Technologies that will result in each of Virgin's planes being outfitted with the Tempus telemedicine system, which contains blood pressure and pulse monitors along with an integrated video cam, and transmits data down to medical personnel via the on-board telephone system. Flight crews will be trained to independently operate each of Tempus' individual instruments, but unlike the in-flight defibrillators that preceded this system, attendants will have the added benefit of live instructions from experts on the ground, if necessary. Virgin will employ the Tempus boxes until at least 2009, and claims that it would like to eventually see an industry-wide implementation, which RDT probably wouldn't mind too much either.[Via MedGadget]
Airlines want to offer iTunes for inflight iPod downloads
Companies that develop inflight entertainment (IFE) systems for airlines have been in discussions with Apple about integrating the iPod and iTunes into IFE systems, according to several of the companies. Proposed applications include seatback-based iPod docks with USB and charging ports, allowing passengers to charge song and video purchases to frequent-flyer miles, and adding other ecommerce applications. "Our interests are wider – not just Apple, but enabling any e-commerce on the aircraft. Music is one thing in that category we are working on," said an exec with Panasonic Avionics. However, numerous obstacles stand in the way of inflight downloads, including changing Apple's licensing, so that songs downloaded directly to an iPod in the air could later be copied back to a customer's hard drive, and the issue of licensing and payment while a plane is in international airspace. Then, there's the issue of getting Apple to participate in the first place. When asked for a comment by editors at Flight International, the company issued what has to be one of our favorite "no comment" lines, especially for a technology company: "Apple never talks about the future." We'll keep that in mind.
iTunes in the sky
How many times have you been on a plane, rocking out on your iPod, when you realize you want to Get Jiggy Wit It. You stare at horror upon your entirely Will Smith devoid iPod and sob quietly in your seat.This may soon be a problem of the past, since Apple is in talks to bring iTunes to an inflight entertainment center near you. Supposedly, the airlines would like it if people could connect to the iTunes Music Store and download songs directly to their iPods from 20,000 feet. How this would work has not been covered, but it would be very cool.Thanks, Gordon Werner.
