Jamie's Random Musings
Various thoughts and adventures, including but not limited to Linux, Windows XP and Widows Vista, and assorted bits of hardware new and old.
Wednesday 27 August 2008, 6:54 AM
In-Flight VoIP
What's going on here? Do we all have to prove how socially aware we are, by saying we are against in-flight phone calls, AND how technically savvy we are by saying that WE know how to get around the rules? Can we not just say that making a phone call when you are packed into an airplane like sardines is rude, inconsiderate, and most importantly AGAINST THE TERMS OF SERVICE that you agreed to when you started using the in-flight internet connection?
jw 27/8/2008
PreviousComments on this post
You mention terms of service: yes indeed - it's also illegal to be drunk on a flight let's not forget.
Somehow it's funny that AA put this announcement out the week after they started charging for water and soda/fizzy-drinks. SouthWest continues to offer "gourmet" pretzels for free so will they give us 5 mins free web access too I wonder.
Seriously though, as unnatural as it is to be packed into a tin tube and flung skywards to 33,000 feet - airlines since early days have tried to bring "ground-level" type experiences to us in the form of sandwiches, tea and biscuits and then movies and games.
Now we're seeing bars with stools and web access. It had to happen. It'll be hot tubs and jacuzzis next.
I used to regularly fly the LA to Sydney 14 hour non-stop run that is 99.999% over water and you feel pretty cut off even with the banter of a chirpy Aussie crew. Even then, I did not want to feel like I was on the ground. What's wrong with three mini bottles of merlot, a Bill Bryson book and an hour or two to try and sleep?
Let's keep the web on the ground.
Adrian, I couldn't agree with you more, and I think your choice of alcohol and drunkenness is a perfect comparison. As long as alcohol is served on aircraft, there will be those who get drunk and cause problems (and some who get drunk but don't cause problems), and as long as internet access is offered on aircraft, there will be those who are so inconsiderate, or so full of their own perceived importance that an "important" phone call can not possibly wait (although on their previous flight it had to wait, and the world is still turning, perhaps just not around them as they think), or who just have to try to get around the restriction to prove that they can do it, and then publish the fact, and their silly statements about how awful they think it is that people can make phone calls on planes and the details of how they did it...
I fear that the only real "solution" to the problem would be to not provide internet access on a plane, but I likewise fear that you and I are in the minority in being willing to accept and even advocate that. I also fear that VoIP is only the tip of the iceberg, there are lots of other things that passengers will do with internet access on planes that others will find objectionable.
Some of the early reports have mentioned watching movies and TV shows. Until now the airlines have been able to pretty closely control what passengers watched on flights, and as I am sure you have noticed, there were some pretty seriously edited versions of movies shown on flights. Human nature being what it is, I'm sure it won't be long before sex enters the equation... What is going to happen when someone notices that the person sitting next to them (or their kid) is watching pornography? Aircell might be able to play "Whack A Mole" with network traffic that has the "footprint" of VoIP, and cut it off after a few seconds, but are they going to be able to do that with other "objectionable" content, or are the poor, overworked, overstressed flight attendants going to be once again put in the position of being "enforcers"?
All of that aside, my original intent in writing this blog entry was to point out the silly conflict of the various people who have posted claims of being against in-flight phoning, and in the same posting bragging about the fact that THEY had managed to do it, and how easy it was, and here is exactly what you have to do...
Thanks for reading and commenting, as always.
jw 27/8/2008
Interesting subject....I would love to be able to pop on VR glasses and just be surrounded by sky or even sit on the wing of a plane I was in, Just imagine poping out when there s turbulance, a nice thunder storm, or even falling asleep and waking up high in the sky.
We could even go the whole hog and have a full VR head set that cancelled out any noise from speaking. Then we could pop out of the plane to make that call. Myself? I'd rather not be bothered by those on the ground when I'm up there in the sky!
