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
The new rulemaking the FAA has promulgated to 'allow' passengers use of their devices is not much of a change, for either passenger or airlines’ employees. Passengers have been using their devices freely in the cabin regardless of phase of flight, and little evidence has been substantiated connecting use of electronic devices and an accident. The new rule is simply the FAA catching up and giving their blessing for the airlines to let passengers do…well, exactly what they have been doing.
ReplyDeleteI like the way passenger amenities are being added to the airlines. The past few times I have traveled I did not have a laptop or tablet, and it was brutal, plenty of “Skymall” magazine and emergency exit graphs. Call me old fashioned, but I miss the movies. Sure it was probably something that did poorly in theaters, perhaps it was easier to buy the rights to show it, but at least it was something to watch. Anyway, the whole online feature is great for both the passenger and airline, the customers get entertainment and the airlines only have to provide internet and apps since the passengers already own their own devices.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the connectivity in the air can be entertaining for the average passenger, I think its most helpful use will be for people that are traveling on business or are running a business. It can be a great benefit to them, allowing a more productive travel time. The same could be said for managers and board members or the general worker, whether it is for personal travel or work related travel it can be an extremely useful tool for these types of passengers.
ReplyDeleteYour opening statement really hit what I think makes this an important change for the average airline passenger. Flights are now immensely more customizable, and its all in the hands of the consumer. You can spend the entirety of your experience doing whatever you please, all thanks to the unrestricted use of these devices.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if there is a possibility for an individual to switch to the non airplane mode and screw something up. I guess if there was any threat from this at all, the FAA would not even entertain the idea...? I think it will be a big hit with the customers of the airlines because they will be able to get work done, arrange for cabs, etc. I think this is a good idea and as long as it does not affect the aircraft systems than lets make it happen.
ReplyDelete