LAXNYER

Just saw this... didn't realize the "stream" was strong enough for skype.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/...y-video_b89722

mAAine_flyer

The "stream" is one thing, Gogo Inflight's ToS are another. Using Skype to IM is now explicitly allowed, but I think VOIP is still a no-no.

jsmith50

Sneaking into the lav with your laptop and using all the bandwidth available, even on a late night flight, is pretty "crappy."

In all seriousness, I thought the Gogo system recognized the bandwidth drain from services like Skype or Netflix and then reduced your speed as an incentive to get you to quit using that service.

davetravels

I saw part of this interview on MSNBC (since my TV is just about permanently glued to it) and when they said he was in the lav on a DL flight, I was also wondering as to whether or not Gogo recognizes Skype and simply disallows it - - I guess now we know the answer!

gt6373c

Of course, if you're on a Saturday night flight from Detroit to Hartford, it may be possible. But, if you're on a transcon during the week, the bandwidth is typically so overwhelmed, simply checking e-mail at times is an arduous task.

tvnwz

Maybe GoGo knew what they were doing.

houserulz77

I wonder if he informed the FA. I can see more than one potential issue if an FA spots a pax going into the lav with a laptop.

Ti22

Don't need laptop, iPad II or iPhone on wifi can video chat or VOIP.

Spiff

"In the wee hours of the morning"

xolinlevh

Hmm i thought gogo blocked the ports for VoIP communication?

AKC6

Shouldn't be too hard to program the lavs to auto-flush every ten seconds when they sense electronic devices inside, the way smoke detectors work.

exwannabe

You don't need an iWhatever, many models up phones and "palmtops" have been doing this for years.

Gogo

Spot on. While we definitely allow for the text chat/IM portion of Skype, using the service for voice/video calling is against our terms of service. There is a reason he conducted his interview in the lavatory, as I'm sure most pax would not appreciate a someone on the phone during their flight.

CJKatl

You would think he would have learned his lesson when NBC suspended him a couple months ago for calling the President a bad name. Clearly this reporter thinks he is special or more important than "normal folk." Most of us stopped calling people those names and trying to get away with stuff when we became adults. There's something very off with that particular reporter.

On another level altogether, when I first saw that he was in the lav, I was just plain grossed out. No reporter should ever bring a camera into a bathroom, unless the particular story justifies being in the bathroom. I rarely turn Willie G off in the morning, but that pretty much did it for me.

MSNBC, which I watch in the morning, needs to hire someone who knows how to use the seven second delay.

jsmith50

So, just out of curiosity, since he clearly violated the terms of service, does Gogo ban him for using the service in the future or make some sort of public service announcement so other pax don't get the idea that if they need to Skype that it's okay to lock yourself in the lav with your iPad?