Mobile Phones

[ZFT]

Airbus approved for on-board cellphones

Paris (dpa) - European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Tuesday that it had become the first company to receive airworthiness certification for a cell-phone system aboard an aeroplane.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved Airbus' GSM on-board system on Monday, Airbus said.

"The EASA airworthiness certification comes after successful tests were carried out by Airbus earlier this year and confirms the GSM on-board system's compatibility in the aircraft environment," the company said.

According to Airbus, the service will eventually enable passengers to use their BlackBerry devices and mobile phones during flights in Europe. They will be able to make and receive calls and send and receive e-mails and text messages.

Am I the only one that thinks this is BAD news for SLF? Travel is bad enough without the thought of someone constantly on their damn mobile phone.

Just hope there will be non mobile seats available.

[Rush2112]

I am dreading the day it comes to SQ flights. The vast majority of Singaporeans cannot understand that you don't need to shout louder the farther away you are physically from the person you are calling so clearly on a plane they will have to shout extra loud. Plus the awful Mando pop electronic ring tones going all the time. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Do passengers really want this extra service??

[ZFT]

Rush2112

No, most pax don't want it but I suspect as a revenue generation stream, the carriers will love it!!

[Bangkokeasy]

It had to come sooner or later, I suppose.

I remember when the airlines spent megabucks installing pay per use phones onboard. Does anyone know, did they ever recoup their investment on those? I have never seen anyone use one.

Do we know what the airlines will charge for this "service"? I guess it will not be free.

[Rush2112]

ZFT: I don't know anyone who thinks it is a good idea. I don't understand why the airlines should want to do it.

Bangkokeasy: I used one once, for a joke. I called the mrs as I was flying home one time, it was quite funny, where are you says the good lady, 35,000 feet over India responded I. Quite funny until I got my credit card bill that is, USD25 for a 1 minute joke....

[ShamRoc]

Interesting! As I recall both BMI and TAP (?) were "boasting", I think it was almost 2 years ago now, that they were about to allow use of mobile phones on their flights. The plan never came to fruition as there was an outcry on at least several forums. It is bad enough having the peace and quiet of the lounge disturbed by the needless yelling into mobile phones without the same thing happening in the air.
Anyway you can be sure that if money is to be made Ryanair will be first to allow mobiles as soon as they can obtain certification for their Boeings; then all airlines will be at it!
Enjoy the peace in the air whist you can.
Hmm... can we obtain and use electronic "blockers"?

[west lakes]

Anyway you can be sure that if money is to be made


Hmm... can we obtain and use electronic "blockers"?


or charge extra for flights without mobile phones:ugh:

Sure I saw on airline quality forum last year an overwhelming majority against their use.

[Dave Gittins]

I for one categorically DO NOT want to have to listen to everybody else's inane conversations.

It is bad enough on Southern Trains out of Victoria .. I cannot beleive the number of numptys, who cannot possibly realise what idiots they make of themelves, chattering away at full volume.

A couple of days ago some stupid woman was talking to what must have been a head hunter, disclosing at full volume her CV to date , present salary and what she was prepared to work for.

:*

[G-BOY]

Wouldn't introducing WiFi instead be better? People using MSN instead of chatting Dom Jolly Style (as the aforementioned singapore flights)

I'm not sure if that can be done on an aircraft, but UK Train operator GNER has been doing it since 2004, and it's been quite a hit.

[Lberto]

Wi FI had already been introduced time ago ,Connexxion developed by Boeing and quite recently (end of 2006 if I am not wrong) has been dismissed.
It seems to me that on some long-haul Lufthansa flights it still exists , I tried it once time ago but I remeber a very low speed.

MObile phones: I pray God for mobile phones capability not to be implemented on planes , otherwise resting or just enjoing little privacy on a packed flight will become totally impossible.

[slim_slag]

I'd be happy if they only enabled SMS, I can see myself using that. I would guess the background noise in your average airliner would be enough to block out the beeps. Voice calls would be quite undesirable.

[Saintsman]

But aren't mobile phones supposed to interfere with aircraft systems? :hmm:

[Pax Vobiscum]

Since there will be a local base station on board the aircraft, everything should be running at minimum transmit power settings (in order to maximise battery life, mobile phones automatically 'throttle back' to the lowest power level that will maintain communication with the base station). The interesting point will come when the base station fails or is inadvertently or deliberately switched off, when all the active mobiles will boost up to full power in an attempt to contact the next nearest base station. I hope the result of this in-flight experiment will be a non-event ...

[slim_slag]

The evidence that moble phones cause a problem with the flight instruments was a mickey mouse experiment done by the UK CAA some years ago and which hardly applied to the real world then, never mind now.

Then there is anecdotal evidence that they cause problems, which is, er, anecdotal. My evidence that mobile phones are completely safe is that I have woken up at the end of a long flight to find my mobile phone battery flat, it was fully charged at the beginning. Therefore, mobile phones are completely safe.

I suppose you could always say better safe than sorry, but more planes have been brought down by passenger action or pilot action than by mobile phones, so better safer not to let them on board either?

[tezzer]

I used the Connxion stuff a few times on SQ, and thought it was great. I could stream live BBC radio into my headphones, use Skype, a VoIP system to make and receive calls, and send and receive my emails. As for using phones, how many times in the last few years have I seen my neighbours on board just switching their phones to "silent", in case they miss an all important message.

[FirmamentFX]

I know a pilot who has his phone on during the flight. His wife sends him a text message about an hour out of "home" with return receipt switched on.

When he is within range of phone reception, he receives the text message (although doesn't actually get his phone out), his wife gets the read receipt, and know to come and pick him up from the airport...

:cool: