Gizmodo: In-Flight

Qantas Looking To Blame A330's Sudden Drop in Altitude On Passengers' Gadgets?

John Mahoney — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Earlier this week, a Qantas A330 inexplicably climbed 300 feet and then suddenly nose-dived back down. In the cabin, 71 people were injured. Interestingly, the ATSB is now looking at in-cabin interference from personal electronics as a possible cause of the "irregularity with the aircraft's elevator control system." Wait, what? Really?

This wouldn't be the first time Qantas has blamed passengers' gadgets for an in-flight mishap; in July, a Bluetooth mouse was said to have resulted in a Qantas jet's autopilot being thrown off course. Passengers on Tuesday's ill-fated altitude drop will now be questioned regarding what electronics they may have been using at the time of the incident.

The issue of whether everyday personal electronics can actually cause any significant problems on board an airliner is clouded, to say the least. On one hand, it's hard to see how such common devices that meet FCC and UL interference standards can affect airliners that are designed to be able to withstand lightning strikes—critical components on a commercial jet are shielded to prevent any kind of interference getting through. On the other side, claims of the insulation degrading in older jets making them more susceptible to interference make sense. Then of course there is the perfectly rational "why chance it" argument.

This Wiki page delves into the issue in more detail, and Patrick from Ask the Pilot, one of my favorite online columns, gave the issue a characteristically sober and level-headed look earlier this year (verdict: interference technically possible but highly unlikely). So why Qantas would be making a push for this line of reasoning is kind of a mystery.

[UPDATE: Nick from Giz OZ has let us know that this story may be in fact a result of a misunderstanding—apparently a reporter got the jet's onboard computers (for navigation, etc) mixed up with the computers of actual passengers in his original report. The NTSB is still not ruling out interference from passenger gadgets, though.]

What about you guys? Do you heed the warnings to turn off everything, or fly in the face of danger with iPod blaring away during takeoff. Must admit I've been guilty of the latter, occasionally.

[NZ Herald via Slashdot, Photo: Daquella Manera/Flickr]

Europe's Ryanair to Push Passengers One Step Closer to the Edge with In-Flight Cellphone Service

John Mahoney — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EDT

If you're flying one of Europe's many discount carriers and you're not violently hungover, you're probably doing something wrong—the cabins of those single-class A319s are bubbling tempests of unshowered, throbbing rage that always seem a fraction of a degree away from boiling over. Now on your sunrise flight from Krakow to Berlin, you can enjoy constant cellphone blabbing from up to six surrounding seats thanks to the good folks at Ryanair, 3, and O2.

After being herded like cattle (a common metaphor, yes, but never so true) to your gate's waiting area which has no seating, bare overhead fluorescent bulbs and a stench not amenable to life, and then after fighting for an unassigned seat and buying your hair-of-the-dog Bloody Mary for $9 US, you can call home and tell everyone how much fun you're having. All for $4 per minute on service provided by Euro carriers O2 and 3. What a wonderful world. [The Register via Gadget Lab, Image: jon gos]

How to Make VoIP Calls on Aircell's In-Flight Wi-Fi

John Mahoney — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:20:00 EDT

The folks at Aircell, providers of the Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service that launched on American last week, have admitted that the ban on video and VoIP chats via Skype and other clients is not bandwidth related, it's for the sanity of everybody else on the plane (much like the in-flight calling ban that's started to float around Congress). Well, after the first few days of the service, Andy over at VoIP Watch has found a backdoor via the Twitter-based VoIP app Phweet that allows for chatting from 35,000 feet. If you must, read on for the details.

Phweet lets you talk to anyone with a Twitter ID via a Flash-based web interface. This circumvents Aircell's block on voice and video chats, which is done via the system's router (Skype calls connect, but drop after 5 seconds or so once the network discovers what you're up to). Since Phweet disguises itself as any old Flash embed, it gets around the block. I still reserve the right to "accidentally" spill my Bloody Mary and peanuts all over you if you spend the whole flight gabbing to your Twitter friends, though. [VoIP Watch, Laptop, Image: bribriTO]

Delta's Bringing In-Flight Wi-Fi to Its Entire U.S. Fleet

John Mahoney — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:12:00 EDT

Delta will join the other airlines using Aircell's GoGo cellular data service, becoming the first of the U.S. biggies to announce concrete plans for a fleet-wide rollout. They're starting with their 133 MD88/90s, then moving on to hit every plane by summer of next year. It'll run you $9.95 for flights less than three hours, or $12.95 for longer flights. There goes our last possible Internet-free haven...I mean, yay! Read on for the full release:

Delta to Become Only Major U.S. Airline to Offer Broadband Wi-Fi Access on Entire Domestic Mainline Fleet

Aircell’s Gogo inflight Internet service to be available in first and economy classes on more than 330 Delta aircraft in 2009, the most expansive inflight broadband offering of any U.S. air carrier

ATLANTA, Aug. 5, 2008 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) customers traveling throughout the continental United States will soon be offered the added convenience of broadband Wi-Fi access onboard the airline’s domestic fleet of more than 330 mainline aircraft.

Delta is joining with Aircell®, a 17-year leader in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to install the company’s Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier’s domestic fleet. The system, Gogo™, will enable Delta customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services. Gogo will be available to customers for a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours.

“Delta remains committed to providing a travel experience that maximizes the time our customers spend with us onboard by offering them even more productivity options,” said Richard Anderson, Delta’s chief executive officer. ”Our customers asked for in-flight connectivity, and we’re responding by rolling out the most extensive Wi-Fi network in the sky. Beginning this fall, our passengers will have the ability to stay connected when they travel with us throughout the continental U.S.”

Gogo will be offered initially on Delta’s fleet of 133 MD88/90 aircraft and will rapidly expand to the remaining domestic fleet of more than 200 Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300 aircraft throughout the first half of 2009. The airline expects to have more than 330 aircraft complete by summer 2009. The full fleet agreement between Aircell and Delta will provide a consistent, convenient experience for customers traveling on the airline who wish to use the Gogo Internet service.

“The advent of Air-To-Ground (ATG) technology has made broadband connectivity in the cabin economically viable for the first time for commercial airlines,” said Jack Blumenstein, President and CEO, Aircell. “The game has changed and Delta will be among the first to provide an enhanced customer experience with broadband Wi-Fi access on more than 1,000 daily flights within the U.S.”

In addition to being the most cost-effective in-flight broadband technology available, the Aircell system is extremely light, requires minimal space on the aircraft and is installed overnight, making it a sound investment in a competitive, high fuel-price environment.

Aircell LLC is the world’s leading provider of airborne communications. As winner of an exclusive FCC frequency license in 2006, Aircell has built a revolutionary mobile broadband network for commercial and business aviation. In 2008, the Aircell Network and its inflight portal, known as Gogo™, will revolutionize the commercial airline passenger flight experience, delivering a robust Internet experience at 35,000 feet. In addition, the Aircell Network provides airlines with connectivity to operations and a path to enhanced cabin services such as video, audio, television and more. A similar feature set is available to Business aircraft operators. Aircell has facilities in Broomfield, Colorado, and Itasca, Illinois. Aircell’s vision is to give everyone the ability to stay in touch, in flight™. For more information about Aircell, please visit http://www.aircell.com/.

Gogo™, powered by Aircell, turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot with true inflight Internet access. Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, can surf the Web, check any e-mail, Instant Message, access their corporate VPN and more. Plus, Gogo includes free access to valuable online content from The Wall Street Journal® and Frommer’s®. For more information about Gogo, please visit http://www.gogoinflight.com/.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 312 destinations in 61 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 44 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 393 weekly flights to 47 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 16,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.

Gogo To Bring In-Flight Wi-Fi By Spring; We Can't Wait

Christopher Mascari — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:05:18 EDT

We already knew that Virgin America and American Airlines were planning to bring in-flight wi-fi in 2008, but we seriously didn't expect it be ready by spring. Aircell has just launched its US in-flight wi-fi service called "gogo" and they claim it will be available in the first half of 2008. Virgin America and American Airlines have both signed on to use gogo but it looks like Virgin America is the only airline taking the service seriously.

Virgin America has been retrofitting their entire fleet with the necessary hardware whereas American Airlines is only running a trial on 15 planes. The service will bring a 2Mbps EVDO Rev. A connection and will actually be upgradeable to Rev. B or faster hardware in the future. So what's the fee for this magical in-flight service? Cross-country flights will cost $12.95 and shorter flights of 3 hours or less will be $9.95.

As for what limitations the airlines will set is still not clear, but with a spring launch, 2Mbs connection, and near $10 fee we can't help but be all hyped-up, so much so it's making us scream, "Let's gogo go!"[gogo via gigaom]

American Airlines to Test In-Flight Wi-Fi in 2008

Jason Chen — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:30:56 EDT

Some time in 2008, you may be lucky enough to get on a 767-200 transcontinental American Airlines flight that's testing the AirCell in-flight broadband service. The wireless net access will be available to all classes—yes, even us poor people—for a price. There will be three antennas outside the plane to transmit your 802.11a/b/g "Lolz im on a plane" messages to your buddies. No word on when this will move to widespread deployment. [AA - Thanks Mike]

Apple On Da Plane, Boss

johnb — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:36:00 EDT

The latest news out of the media event of the season, also known as the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, is that Apple is in preliminary talks with in-flight entertainment providers to license its iTunes media store for commercial airplane use. Several airlines are already investigating the possibility of putting iPod docks or USB ports into each seat. Apparently, having their customers use up hard earned frequent flier miles on stuff other than flying saves the airlines money. Who knew?

This is going to be great for the times you're being dragged to the wedding of yet another one of your wife's college friends and need the first two seasons of Lost to pass the time. Better yet, take your Video iPod to the wedding itself and tune out all that jibber jabber by the gentleman in the funny robes.

Apple talks to airline in-flight entertainment developers to bring iTunes to seatbacks [Flight Global]