Airlines to allow mobile phones

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by Simbo

We've managed up to now without it- nothing is that urgent that it can't wait until the terminus at the other end, A- because there's not a lot you can do about an issue and B- before some of you spout on about urgent business ; if it were that important you shouldnt be away from work inthe first place.

While I am generally against phone calls (voice) in planes. You points are, however, exactly when it would be beneficial to have this ability. I have made (on rare occasions) calls from the in-seat phones and also received calls (1). Important business may be about to close and your trip could not be scheduled around that. Of cause you can in most cases delegate, but if the tool is there I'll use it. Again, I will state that I am generally against voice calls in planes.

[marc26]

i actually think Blackberry's and such have cut down on so many people jabbering away on phones in public places, which is a good thing

[LivinLOS]

I am just waiting for the Dom Jollie skit..

YES.. NO.. I'M ON A PLANE... NO ITS SHIT !!

Trigger happy TV.. Funny as feck..

[cybernator_uk]

I don't like the use of the phone even on a bus... It's annoying as hell when you get some gimpy teenager "yeah, yeah... Sweet... yeah. yeah" Should be banned. Not only that but what really annoys the hell out of me are the twats who use the phones as an annoyingly loud MP3 player in the streets. Imagine that in a long haul flight. Forget it Mobiles should be turned off on buses, trains, aeroplanes and anyform of public transport.

99.9% of phone calls can wait... most are usually chatty bullshit. The thing with business calls is that most business people have an e-mail address anyway so it's not like people are not contactable. Besides, we are not allowed to use a mobile phone on flights now from my experiences of flying for pleasure and work, I have never had any need to use a phone on a flight, why start now?

[georgelondon]

screaming kids onboard flights...women getting things out of their fecking hand luggage every 5 mins from the overhead compartment!!

add twats on mobile phones for the whole trip, i think i'd kill someone!

[marc26]

Originally Posted by georgelondon

screaming kids onboard flights...!

btu one thing about screaming babies is you cant blame them
alot of times they are crying because of the pressure in their ears and they dont know what it is

[dawsey]

Originally Posted by marc26

btu one thing about screaming babies is you cant blame them
alot of times they are crying because of the pressure in their ears and they dont know what it is

True. Nobody likes screaming kids on a flight, but we were all kids once, and maybe screamed on flights too. Plug the earphones in if it gets to you George.

[Tarzan]

Originally Posted by dawsey

True. Nobody likes screaming kids on a flight, but we were all kids once, and maybe screamed on flights too. Plug the earphones in if it gets to you George.

I can understand if they scream because of the pressure.. But when they have been screaming for 4 hours, its really annoying....

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by dawsey

True. Nobody likes screaming kids on a flight, but we were all kids once, and maybe screamed on flights too. Plug the earphones in if it gets to you George.

I am with you there. I used to annoyed, but have managed to [largely] block out that noise.

What I object to is screaming kids in First or Business Class as well as obnoxious kids that kick your seat and especially dumb-ass parents that do not try to manage their kids.

[dawsey]

Originally Posted by Tarzan

I can understand if they scream because of the pressure.. But when they have been screaming for 4 hours, its really annoying....

Thats when they need to be introduced to Mr Slap 5555 (joking)

I know what you mean, and the parents of those kids really should do more to try and pacify their children.

Its the seat-kickers that annoy me

[nelsonone]

it's funny....only seems that falang kids feel the pressure....have been sat next/adjacent to a few Thai kids on long hauls and I've never heard a peep out of them....

one litte Thai guy probably about 8yo was travelling by himself on business class next to me on one trip (cabin crew asked if I had an issue with it and I said OK as long as he doesn't cry).....he put his own bed down and was off to sleep straight after the meal service......woke up for breakfast.....I think he probably had more FF points than me!

[marc26]

Originally Posted by nelsonone

it's funny....only seems that falang kids feel the pressure....have been sat next/adjacent to a few Thai kids on long hauls and I've never heard a peep out of them....

!

well, i was with a 25yr old thai kid and she started balling her eyes out when she 1st experienced pressure
the girls on thai airways had to come over and explain it to her
with a ginat Winnie the Pooh in her lap, i couldnt get my head into my newspaper far enough 555555

[faultytowers]

Originally Posted by marc26

well, i was with a 25yr old thai kid and she started balling her eyes out when she 1st experienced pressure

with a ginat Winnie the Pooh in her lap,

Perhaps you should have got off her lap then !!!!!!

[georgelondon]

on my trip at the weekend from spain there was a kid sitting behind my g/f who kept kicking the back of her seat for a good hour!! the thick fat mother sat with the kid on her lap completely oblivious or couldn't care less) to what her kid was doing!
she looked at me and im sure she was thinking.."yeh go on complain"
i just asked one of the cabin crew if we could change seats...yeh no problem sir! the fat sows kid was still kicking the seat as we got up.

[marc26]

Originally Posted by georgelondon

on my trip at the weekend from spain there was a kid sitting behind my g/f who kept kicking the back of her seat for a good hour!! the thick fat mother sat with the kid on her lap completely oblivious or couldn't care less) to what her kid was doing!
she looked at me and im sure she was thinking.."yeh go on complain"
i just asked one of the cabin crew if we could change seats...yeh no problem sir! the fat sows kid was still kicking the seat as we got up.

I just flew from Florida to NYC
there were more Jews on that plane than in Israel and im sorry to make a sweeping genralization but they do not admonish their kids for anything

after a few kicks and about 3 looks back to the mom, on the 4th, i stood up
tapped her on her head so she could take of her ear phones and told her to be a responsible parent and take care of her kids and not let them cause a ruckus and interrupt other passengers, it was not fair to us

[dawsey]

Originally Posted by marc26

after a few kicks and about 3 looks back to the mom, on the 4th, i stood up
tapped her on her head so she could take of her ear phones and told her to be a responsible parent and take care of her kids and not let them cause a ruckus and interrupt other passengers, it was not fair to us

Did she take any notice Paul, or just give you the finger 5555

I had a similar problem with a couple of Indian kids, about 8 and 10 travelling with their mother from the Middle East back to London. Fed up of having my seat back kicked, and asking them to stop, it fell on deaf ears. The mother looked straight through me.
I got my own back when the older one was eating hehe. I finished first, and looked back to see them both eating a rice and curry dish. I jammed the seat back as hard as it would go, and heard the cry as his food landed in his lap.
What a mess, and I leaned over and told him I'd do it again if he kicked my seat anymore. He stopped

[nelsonone]

Originally Posted by dawsey

. Fed up of having my seat back kicked, and asking them to stop, it fell on deaf ears. The mother looked straight through me.
I got my own back when the older one was eating hehe. I finished first, and looked back to see them both eating a rice and curry dish. I jammed the seat back as hard as it would go, and heard the cry as his food landed in his lap.
What a mess, and I leaned over and told him I'd do it again if he kicked my seat anymore. He stopped

classic Rog.....just classic!!!......

[steve@thaib]

I travel on trains a bit, and there is nothing that ruins the journey more than some cretin shouting into a mobile phone; I hope we are spared this on flights. It's bad enough on short train trips, would be appalling on a long flight.

[MassMoose]

Originally Posted by dawsey

Did she take any notice Paul, or just give you the finger 5555

I had a similar problem with a couple of Indian kids, about 8 and 10 travelling with their mother from the Middle East back to London. Fed up of having my seat back kicked, and asking them to stop, it fell on deaf ears. The mother looked straight through me.
I got my own back when the older one was eating hehe. I finished first, and looked back to see them both eating a rice and curry dish. I jammed the seat back as hard as it would go, and heard the cry as his food landed in his lap.
What a mess, and I leaned over and told him I'd do it again if he kicked my seat anymore. He stopped

I can picture this. Score one for the good guys

[Thin White Duke]

Originally Posted by dawsey

it fell on deaf ears. The mother looked straight through me.
I got my own back when the older one was eating hehe. I finished first, and looked back to see them both eating a rice and curry dish. I jammed the seat back as hard as it would go, and heard the cry as his food landed in his lap.
What a mess, and I leaned over and told him I'd do it again if he kicked my seat anymore. He stopped

Nice one and the right way to handle the situation imo

[dizbuster]

Looks like EU passengers will have to suffer a lot sooner than the rest of us !!

Here's an article posted today on a Singapore news website...

Channelnewsasia.com

Handphones will have to stay switched off
By Leong Wee Keat, TODAY | Posted: 09 April 2008 1119 hrs SINGAPORE:
You may soon be able to chat and send SMS on your mobile phone as you zoom from one European city to another.

But, if you want to shout "I'm leaving on a jet plane" while flying from Singapore to Europe, or from the Republic to anywhere within Asia, you may have to wait a while longer.

A check with six international carriers — Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM Royal Dutch, Qantas and Singapore Airlines (SIA) — flying directly to destinations within Europe from the Republic revealed that they would not be allowing the use of mobile phones on their flights any time soon.

This is despite the European Commission's paving the way on Monday for in-flight use of mobile phones across the continent, when it introduced new rules harmonising the legal and technological conditions regarding their use. The 27 European Union member states have six months to comply with the new rules.

Airlines such as Air France and Qantas, which are rolling out the use of mobile phones on their flights, have limited their use to some flights within Europe and Australia respectively.

While the subject is on the radar screens of airlines and aviation regulators across Asia, they will be watching the rollout in Europe with interest before deciding to introduce the use of such devices, say industry observers.

For example, flag carriers may have to comply not just with their own countries' regulations, but also of those they would be flying over, noted Assistant Professor Terrence Fan of the Singapore Management University.

Some airlines have been quick to announce plans allowing the use of mobile phones on their flights. European low-cost carrier Ryanair, for example, will fit 20 planes with mobile-phone technology by June, followed by the rest of its fleet, reported The Times.

Last month, Emirates said it would be investing some US$27 million (S$37 million) to equip its fleet with a system allowing mobile phones to be used safely. The service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude, and cabin crew will have full control over the system, including the ability to prevent voice calls at certain times, such as during night flights.

For passengers who need to make urgent calls but can't use their mobile phones, the option now is to use a plane's satellite phones. For example, a passenger on SIA will need to pay a minimum of US$5.90 for the initial minute, and US$0.59 for every six-second block thereafter.

While they agree that there is a high demand among passengers to use mobile phones on flights, aviation analysts TODAY spoke to were divided over when they would be rolled out in Asia.

Unlike the EU, there is no single aviation regulatory body on the continent to implement a common framework allowing the use of mobile phones, said Assistant Professor Fan.

"Technically, it can be done. But, I don't know if there is enough political will. It could drag on for some time," he added.

Flight International regional managing editor (Asia) Nicholas Ionides, however, is more optimistic, saying travellers would be using mobile phones on flights here in the "next few years".

"The use of mobile phones in flight is inevitable and will become a fact of life. It's just a matter of time, and getting the regulators on board," he said.

Even if the regulators are agreeable, the final call may still be with the airlines.

"You don't want phones ringing and people talking while you are sleeping on a flight," said aviation consultant Prithpal Singh.

Said an SIA spokesperson: "This is a matter still under study and a decision has yet to be made. We will decide on whether or not to introduce such a service onboard based on the needs and preferences of our customers, as well as the social implications and regulatory requirements." - TODAY/ra