Engadget reports on a Harris Interactive survey that states that 74% of US Americans say NO to in-flight calling and that cellphone usage in-flight should be restricted to “non-talking features” such as emailing, texting, or surfing the Web. Additionally, 69% of those surveyed agreed that if voice calls are permitted, a special “talking zone” should be established so that other passengers are not disturbed. This “talking zone” brings to light what the etiquette should be for making in-flight voice calls regardless of the technology used. Airlines have offered in-flight phone services before, but their unusally high costs limited their usage but if one can use one’s own cell phone or VoIP via in-flight Internet access that doesn’t mean one should be yammering endlessly on a voice call. An MSNBC article also points to a 2005 poll sponsored by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Consumers League that showed that 63% of those polled were against in-flight cell phone usage.
What’s your position on in-flight voice calls?
A CNET News blog post reports that iPass is partnering with AirCell’s Gogo service to include in-flight Internet service as part of iPass’ WiFi roaming connectivity. iPass provides mobile Internet access for a monthly fee. Users can connect via WiFi, dial-up or Ethernet using a single user password in hotels, Internet cafes, airports, and now with this partnership, in-flight.
The post also speculates that as there are other WiFi aggregators, such as Boingo, out there the Gogo service may be adding additional partnerships in the future.
Heard it on BOL #724.
via CNET
iPass PR
InfoWorld reports on Panasonic’s eXConnect service which will offer high speed Internet access to passengers in-flight. The headline says this would be bringing back high speed Internet access to the skies in 2009 but as posted earlier on this blog, Gogo is slated to launch in 2008 with their version of Internet on a plane. The article does state that the eXConnect service will be the first intercontinental in-flight Internet service since Boeing’s Connexion service shut down in 2006.
In-flight Internet was first launched in mid-2004 when Lufthansa began rolling out the service on its long-haul jets. Many major Asian and European airlines followed with the service but the big U.S. airlines, still reeling at the time from the chaos brought on by the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., never signed on to the service. In the end, Boeing decided to close Connexion before it took off.
Pricing is yet to be finalized, but Panasonic is looking at around $12 per hour or $22 per day, which is also close to the pricing of the defunct Connexion service.
This email from a BOL listener was read on the Buzz Out Loud podcast #714…
Dear Buzzards,
I was in the cockpit over the eastern U.S. the other day and decided to take out my laptop and look up some technical data on the 737 I was flying. At the unnamed American Airline I fly for we have recently begun carrying our manuals in digital format. When I booted up I noticed that wireless networks were available. This is quite common and is usually someone’s laptop in the cabin. Just out of curiosity, however, I opened up the Wi-Fi window and saw that the signal was from an aircraft with Wi-Fi service that was flying just above and ahead of us. I knew it was from that airplane because the signal identified itself as being from a particular U.S. airline, (which will also remain unnamed), that has Wi-Fi service and we heard their call sign on our frequency. That got me thinking about the proposed balloon network you talked about a while back and I was wondering if you couldn’t come up with an airline mesh network. Our airline alone has more than 2,500 flights a day and the sky is always packed with airliners. Have you ever had to sit in the air an extra hour in a holding pattern because there were too many airplanes in a given block of airspace ahead of you? ATC is always having to speed up, slow down and vector traffic to maintain legal separation. If all those airliners were equipped to create a mesh network you could easily defer the cost of the equipment as well as compensate the airlines for the service. It might even help keep travel costs down. Maybe it’s silly but it seems as valid an idea as balloons.
Keep up the good work,
Vic the Texas Pilot Rancher
Too bad its probably a long shot for a mesh network like that to become a reality.
Gogo is the internet, on a plane. Gogo (powered by Aircell) enables email access, web browsing, and VPN access at mobile broadband speeds, using a devices built-in Wi-Fi capability. Gogo is launching in 2008 on select flights on American Airlines and Virgin America. The Gogo site includes a map of premium routes that will be offering the Gogo in-flight service. Pricing is not mentioned. You can also sign-up to a mailing list to be kept advised as Gogo adds routes and airlines.
The big question is how much are you willing to pay to be connected while in-flight?
Both JetBlue and American Airlines are making plans to roll out onboard Internet access to passengers while in flight. Even though the plans are somewhat different in scope—JetBlue is only offering e-mail and IM connectivity, while American has plans for full ‘Net access—and will only initially be available on certain flights, both represent a significant step towards full online connectivity at 35,000 feet.
via 
For its system, American Airlines is relying on the expertise of AirCell, which is promising to get things up and running on at least some flights sometime next year. Initially, the in-flight WiFi will only be offered on American Airlines’ fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft, which primarily fly transcontinental routes. From the looks of it, however, the service won’t be a freebie, with American Airlines saying it’ll announce the cost of the service at the time it’s rolled out.
via Engadget
Engadget reports on a Harris Interactive survey that states that 74% of US Americans say NO to in-flight calling and that cellphone usage in-flight should be restricted to “non-talking features” such as emailing, texting, or surfing the Web. Additionally, 69% of those surveyed agreed that if voice calls are permitted, a special “talking zone” should be established so that other passengers are not disturbed. This “talking zone” brings to light what the etiquette should be for making in-flight voice calls regardless of the technology used. Airlines have offered in-flight phone services before, but their unusally high costs limited their usage but if one can use one’s own cell phone or VoIP via in-flight Internet access that doesn’t mean one should be yammering endlessly on a voice call. An MSNBC article also points to a 2005 poll sponsored by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Consumers League that showed that 63% of those polled were against in-flight cell phone usage.
