Newsstand - Emirates to allow in-flight mobile phone use

Already reported at 622550, to surprisingly little comment. The Times coverage is the most complete I've found.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2444246,00.html

November 09, 2006
Change in the air as passengers allowed to use mobiles
By David Robertson, Business Correspondent, The Times

... [Emirates] has spent £14 million developing technology that will allow passengers to use their mobiles in the air without the phones interfering with cockpit systems. ...

The calls will be charged at regular international roaming rates, with the airline taking a percentage to cover its investment. Using a phone in flight will cost about £2 a minute, or 60p for a text message. Emirates hopes to add a BlackBerry service and laptop internet access later in the year. ...

The system has been developed by AeroMobile, a British company, which is also in talks with most other big airlines. Qantas is about to start a trial programme. ...

I am really not looking forward to somone talking all through my flight. Its bad enough on trains and buses (where mobiles are now banned in certain carriges in the UK). I really hope they make a point of switching the system off when people are trying to sleep. I don't think this is a step forward for passengers as a group.

Sorry for being negative but I am sure that people could manage a WHOLE flight without having to make a call.

Let's hope this goes down the same road as Connexion (even though that idea was pretty good - this isn't). I hope this idea dies.

hey guys,

i was in a telco with skype for 4 hours on a intercontinental flight in business class last time.

i asked after 10 minutes all other passengers next to me if they could hear me.
or if i am disturbing them.

nobody even did hear me because it is too loud in an airplane .

i am using my bose qc3 so i can hear the people very very good via skype and i dont have to shout into the mic.

so if a noice cancallation headset is used there shouldnt be any problem

dp

Very few people are that polite.

Or that sophisticated. If it can be done without disturbing others, that would be one thing. But we all know from personal experience that, if not the vast majority then at least a far too great number of, cell talkers are inconsiderate and do disturb others, either with the volume of the conversation or--a problem common among Americans--the subject of it.

In most places, my response to an inconsiderate cell-phone talker/shouter is usually to grin and bear it. At most, the rube earns a scowl. But on an airplane, I won't hesitate to tell a shouter or loud talker to be quiet and stop disturbing others. I would expect that many airlines will find their FA's called in to referee such disputes frequently. Perhaps that will incline the FA's to "bump" the switch for this service into the "off position."

To the other airlines: DON'T DO IT!

hey guys,

i was in a telco with skype for 4 hours on a intercontinental flight in business class last time.

i asked after 10 minutes all other passengers next to me if they could hear me.
or if i am disturbing them.

nobody even did hear me because it is too loud in an airplane .

i am using my bose qc3 so i can hear the people very very good via skype and i dont have to shout into the mic.

so if a noice cancallation headset is used there shouldnt be any problem

dp
How does noice cancellation do that? :p

I use Vonage and Skype in flight quite a bit (and will continue to do so as long as still possible). Communicating was a pain when I first tried to do VOIP without the proper noise-cancelling equipment communicating; however, after using better equipment the issue went away and it didn't seem to annoy anybody around me either. Then again I limited my talk time to those hours were passengers around me were awake and/or meal times.

Mobile phones, however, I can see causing more of an issue especially if the cost is on the low to reasonable side.

By the way, I love Connexion, and it will be missed by me.

Hmm, I guess cellphones don't cause airplanes to crash after all. I never would have guessed!

Hmm, I guess cellphones don't cause airplanes to crash after all. I never would have guessed!

Of course not.
And guess what: Neither do water, shampoo and lotion. :eek:

Add my vote to those who can't stand the idea. I *really* want to relax on a long flight -- listening to someone jabbering on would be no good, nor would having to get into a confrontation everytime I asked someone to be more considerate with their noise level.

Hmm, I guess cellphones don't cause airplanes to crash after all. I never would have guessed!

Amazing isn't it how quickly big airlines ditch the "no mobile phone use on board the plane" once they can make money from them.

Emirates made their press release today:

http://www.emirates.com/AboutEmirates/EmiratesNews/GN_NewsDetail.asp?yr=2006&St=2

Sorry, but this picture is the best publicity for me to avoid this carrier in the future (with whom I made several enjoyable C-Class-trips to India and to the far east).
I remember a report about Dubai in their onboard-magazine about two years ago: They wrote something like "if you feel disturbed about noisy cellphone-conversations, you won't be lucky in Dubai...". And indeed, it was really remarkably during my stop-over.

What about "quiet zones" on those airplanes? It was mentioned somewhere in the press, but EK doesn't mention it.

Hope LH and LX will never start this...

Patrick

Hmm, I guess cellphones don't cause airplanes to crash after all. I never would have guessed!

Well I know one thing, if you are on my Cessna Skyhawk while I'm pilot in command - no cell phones for you ;)

I accidentally left my cell phone on in my flight bag after calling flight service at a stopover, and while I'm a VFR pilot (so I don't know how much it would interfere with navigation instruments), I did indeed occasionally hear that electronic interference on my headset; you know...the little buzzing sound when sometimes you hold a cellphone up to a speaker or television sometimes.

While I know there is a world of a difference between a Boeing, Airbus, and Cessna, my opinion still leans toward the "no" side.

At close to $4 per minute, it doesn't seem like this is going to make a very big difference.

At close to $4 per minute, it doesn't seem like this is going to make a very big difference.

Whats 800$ on the company bill extra for someone who is flying full fare business?
Its mostly tax deductible anyway as an operating expense.

Whats 800$ on the company bill extra for someone who is flying full fare business?
Its mostly tax deductible anyway as an operating expense.
Those people are probably already using the phones on the planes as much as they want anyway, so I don't see the ability to use your cell phone instead of the hard-wired phone as making much of a difference, since the prices will be similar (AFAIK).

What I'm confused about is the fact that "only 5 or 6 passengers" can use it at one time...and that Emirates is "subsidizing" the costs. So how exactly are they going to make money? :rolleyes:

As much as I don't like to wish ill-will for anyone, but I sincerely hope this "experiment" dies.

What I'm confused about is the fact that "only 5 or 6 passengers" can use it at one time...and that Emirates is "subsidizing" the costs. So how exactly are they going to make money? :rolleyes:

As much as I don't like to wish ill-will for anyone, but I sincerely hope this "experiment" dies.
Emirates makes money by offering good service, rather than trying to nickle and dime people with $4 bags of peanuts and $2 pillows. That seems to be the way they understand the phone service as well.

At close to $4 per minute, it doesn't seem like this is going to make a very big difference.

In coach this may not make a big difference, but in the biz cabin I can see someone trying to have a conference call.

For my part, I just listen to conference calls when flying and use a text messenger to get some other participant to inject my contribution for me. I suspect most others won't be doing that. :eek:

That said, I welcome more in-flight options and think that any disruptive issues can be dealt with by the airlines in other ways -- like send the callers to the galley area to talk. :D