SchmutzigMSP

A marvellously simple suggestion! This has to be an inexpensive option to include and would increase the enjoyment of travel immensely, spoken as one who almost always has a juice/water/soda/cocktail de jour in hand.

fisherman

How about train-style seats (such as those found on Eurorail) where reclining means your seat slides forward, thereby reducing your own legroom but not the room of the person behind you?

Can't wait to see this in the new 787 now that I've put the request in on this thread! You can all thank me later!

VideoPaul

I understand that you didn't, but every news article that I have ever read on the subject quotes someone as objecting to "sitting next to someone yelling into their cell phone..." or words very close to that.

I guess my position is that I can easily keep my conversation down to the point that the noise of the environment drowns it out. Cell phone mikes are very sensitive and if you are right up on it youd be surprised how much they will pick up. Perhaps cell and non cell rows?

Like I said, real internet access would sole the provblem as I could use VoIP and get any call in the world made. And yes, I am very sensitive to other pax and not disturbing them. I have actually delayed lav runs for two hours after the need arose due to a sleeping seatmate. Now if we could only get people to STOP wearing perfume on airplanes...

--Paul

--Paul

kxs

The receiver terminal footprint should be much smaller since there's no local storage needed. Ofcourse, they're going to need a pretty beefy network to serve up that many movies at the same time... possible they may need a small local disk to cache films..

grizzly

Some background on where my opinions come from: for work I've take numerous trips East Coast - NRT in the last year, all in Y. I've done the flights several times each for the NRT-MSP/DTW flights and the NRT-EWR flight on CO. I haven't done the A330 flights yet but managed to get a SEA routing to NRT for my upcoming trip just so I could. We always have deadlines in Tokyo that I'm heading there to meet so I'm working furiously the whole outbound flight and relax on the whole return flight. Also, I'm about 6'1" and 160lbs.

My flying needs/desires/requested changes in order of importance:

1. Notebook power in Y seats. I don't care if it's just a few rows (since I'm Plat and can always get those rows) and I don't care if it's emPower or normal plugs (I already have an emPower adapter because of how important this is for me). I have to carry along several pounds of extra batteries along if I'm in a plane that doesn't have it so I can work the whole flight.

2. Even an extra inch of pitch in Y. I couldn't care less about the width of the seats; I find it currently more than ample (as long as my neighbor doesn't steal the arm rests preventing me from being able to type comfortably!) but I have no options for where to put my legs. A 90-degree knee bend is how i have to sit the whole flight because my knees essentially hit the seat in front of me so i can't stick my legs out more straight or cross my legs. Plus, I'm not very good at sleeping sitting up by I can do okay if i lay my head in my arms down on the tray table except that the seat is just barely too close so i have to angle my head which is painful. Another inch and I could sit and sleep significantly more comfortably.

3. WiFi or Wired internet. I really have no preference between the two. Fast would be nice but really even a slow connection would be very helpful to me. Being able to access my office servers and IM coworkers would help me be significantly more productive. Since I'll be using it, I'd rather the cost were built into the ticket price so the price was distributed amongst all the passengers instead of just those of that would be using it but I would pay a reasonable fee ($20-25/flight, maybe more) if it meant having it or not. I wouldn't buy any kind of cheaper yearly/monthly plan unless it was on domestic flights as well but if it were available on all NW plans I'd definitely just pay them a straight monthly fee that allowed me to have unlimited access. I guess I'm dreaming on that one though.

4. A seat design that allowed a notebook's screen to be angled correctly when the person in front of me reclines and I've got my notebook on the tray table. The current design is very annoying because I'm forced to look at my screen at about 30 degrees from perpendicular whenever the person reclines. This is very straining on the eyes.

5. The touchless bathroom idea. I hadn't thought of this before but I think it's a great idea! I'm a bit of a germaphobe and hate airplane bathrooms. I would feel much more comfortable with this sort of thing. It has to be all or nothing though. If the toilet and sink is touchless but I have to touch the door latch to get out (or the garbage cover if I pull the use the paper towel to avoid touching the doorlatch method) it's pointless. Ideally i could go to the bathroom and never touch anything in the bathroom with my hands.

6. Individual seat TVs throughout Y, improved AVOD. This one really doesn't make it or break it for me but it'd sure be nice.

TechBoy

Completely agree with you on the perfume problem . . .

But you need to think about your phone calls like you do about perfume. You may think that your conversation is quiet and will be drowned out by other noise, just like the perfume wearer thinks that "it's just a little bit of perfume." Others, however, are likely to find your "quiet" conversation to be annoying. You may not intend to be annoying and you may try very hard not to be annoying, but that does not mean that you won't be annoying.

NWA_5479

I think that this is a very feasible idea. In the enviroment of charging for everything today, I can easily see them offering 1 month, or 1 year passes. It would be nice if with that there were discounted rates for Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elites, much like the fee system for the Worldclubs.

NNH

Channel 9
Channel 9
Channel 9

99ejs

I second that - even in the days of high-tech IFE, this would be a great, low-cost addition

- also enightingale's suggestion for a "Lock" button for the IFE controller/automatically locking the buttons when in the cradle.

- and CVGhostage's self-serve/debit card refreshment stations

DannyS

Listening to the cockpit on the IFE. Maps showing where you are, airspeed, etc. If you want to be really cool, how about a camera view looking out the front. A pilots eye view of takeoff and landing would be too cool for words.

Get rid of the lightup no-smoking signs and replace them with something more useful - like "no electronic devices" or "no cell phones." Those things actually change during the duration of the flight.

Allanf

Under no circumstances should NWA place orders for the interior configuration of the Dreamliner unless the ENTIRE NWA Board of Directors has taken a transpacific flight (DTW to Japan, or further) seated three abreast in coach class with someone seated in directly in front of them and in back of them. They MUST find out exactly what it is like to fly long distances in coach class under typical conditions before they subject passengers to this environment.

Significantly wider seats in coach and more pitch is far more critical than more overhead space. I also second the motion for more space between seats. Flying has got to be more than an airborne Greyhound Bus trip. It has to once again be comfortable and enjoyable to fly. If it isn't they will lose the loyalty of business travelers who will to migrate to Maxjet or another more comfortable alternative and there will be a replay of the current financial situation due to low load factors.

Vulcan

Depending on the system, especially if it is wired internet access, it will very quickly be used like a telephone by customers using Skype Out, Voipbuster, etc.. I have my headset with the mic plugs ready to go

kb1992

AMEN.

VideoPaul

A far better idea than anything else I've seen here, it would include preetty much everything else. Do it on a day that they have a critical report of something else due and deprive them of any way to do it during their 10, 12, 15, 17 hour flight and then mention that SOME airlines have wi-fi access. make darn sure they are only offered something to drink three times during a trans-hemispheric flight. And make sure the guy in fornt of them is reclides the whole flight, and the guy in back of them if messing with stuff int eh seatback pocket the entire flight.

Then, for added realism, make sure they can hear the FAs complaining about how unfair their job is the entire flight.

--Paul

AviationFan

Maybe this could work! And make them believe that they'll be forced to endure this "treat" once a month for the rest of their careers, just to make sure they know what's at stake.

I know, like this will ever happen...

- Martin