Mobile Devices and Their Impact on Commercial Aviation Travel

            In the past, aviation travel has been limited to in flight entertainment provided by the airline carrier which in the best of cases is playing movies. Today, passengers can experience much more with the implementation of Wi-Fi connectivity at altitude. This allows passengers to surf the internet, for a price, while flying thousands of feet up in the air. This is a huge leap in technology and is becoming more and more popular with airlines, Delta Airlines has the largest Wi-Fi enabled fleet counting in at more than 800 (Kandorfer, 2013). Having the internet available mid flight has revolutionized the way people fly, now one can enjoy streaming movies on Netflix or keep up on their favorite shows on Hulu.com. This unheard of feat has only been implemented in recent years. In addition to entertainment, this connectivity is proving to be an excellent tool for businessmen that are traveling. Instead of being in the dark for multiple hours not knowing what is going on back at work, he/she can now work from the air if they so choose. Having full internet capability allows them to receive and send emails and correspond efforts to keep their business running smoothly with employees on the ground. This allows a boss to become more efficient while on the road by enabling him to work while flying instead of sleeping or reading a book. All of this is only available on tablets or laptops, cell phones traditionally are not allowed to be used on aircraft due to possible interference, but this is about to change.

            The Federal Aviation Administration has recently changed the regulations on the use of mobile devices onboard a moving aircraft (Booton, 2013). Previously, cell phones had to be turned off from the beginning of the taxi from the gate throughout the flight until safely landing and taxiing to the destination gate. This was founded on a belief that these cell phones would cause undue interference to the aircraft instruments and navigation. Recently, the FAA has conducted tests to see if the rule was founded duly. They concluded that phones in 'airplane mode' would prove no harm and will now grant airlines the ability to permit their passengers to operate mobile devices under this requirement. Now, everyone with a smartphone will be able to use it to surf the internet which will eliminate the need to carry and extra device such as a tablet or a laptop.

References

Booton, J. (2013, October 31). FAA Relaxes Rules, Allows Mobile Device Use on Airplanes. Fox Business. Retrieved from http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/10/31/faa-relaxes-rules-allows-mobile-device-use-on-airplanes/

Kandorfer, P. A. (2013, November 9). Delta introducing use of mobile devices during the flight. Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/delta-introducing-use-of-mobile-devices-during-the-flight

Professionalism

Professionalism can be a very loosely based term that is casually thrown around in conversation, but carries a great deal of merit when one is attempting to acquire a job in any industry. Aviation is no different, when only two pilots carry the lives of hundreds of people on one flight alone, they have to act in a professional manner. A passenger does not want to see their captain speaking profanity or carrying about in an immature way. I believe professionalism is achieved when one acts, dresses, and speaks cordially, politely, and respectfully. A professional does not boast or make fun, but rather helps others to achieve their goal, especially in aviation. In the aviation industry, professionals can usually be spotted instantly by their traits, some of these traits are proper attire, respectful discussion, and punctuality.

Examples of people in the aviation industry acting or not acting in a professional manner can be found across the internet. For example, a JetBlue flight attendant freaked out on August 9th 2010 by getting on the plane's public address system and cursing out the passengers just before grabbing two beers and exiting the plane through the blow up emergency slide (Tatnell, 2010). This is a very extreme case of unprofessionalism, as a flight attendant, he was representing the company whilst in uniform. This complete lack of downright common courtesy is outrageous and he rightfully lost his job. On the other hand, there are cases when an employee in the aviation industry acted mature and cordial, in my experience working line for over four years, most pilots were very pleasant and mindful of others.

I myself strive to show professionalism every day because I never know who may hire me in the future. Some of the things I do include dress attire, being polite, and avoid foul language when talking. I do this now and plan to in the future as well, this is key to advancing in the aviation community because it is a small world and you never know who may be your boss someday. I plan on observing how other professionals carry themselves throughout the work day, utilize professional resources such as Professional Resource Press and NationalProfessional Resources Inc., and always remember that the customer comes first. In the end, the people who get the jobs fastest are the go getters that also know how to act professionally.

Tatnell, P. (2010, August 10). Raging flight attendant makes his own emergency exit. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/raging-flight-attendant-makes-his-own-emergency-exit-20100810-11ul9.html

Smith, S. (2011, December 21). Professionalism: A ‘Must Have’ For All Aviation Workers. AviationPros. Retrieved from http://www.aviationpros.com/article/10456996/ramp-workers-must-be-professionals-to-ensure-safety

Epstein, C. (2012, August 08). Sumwalt Keeps Pressure on Pilot Professionalism. Aviation International News. Retrieved from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-09-01/sumwalt-keeps-pressure-pilot-professionalism