In flight phone calls

[harvyk]

Not the train, I'm on the plane | News.com.au

There is an interesting story today stating that the QF test of mobiles in flight was a success. So this brings the question, if you where able to use mobiles in-flight, would you want to?

 

[mannej]

Not the train, I'm on the plane | News.com.au

There is an interesting story today stating that the QF test of mobiles in flight was a success. So this brings the question, if you where able to use mobiles in-flight, would you want to?

Not at all...

It is bad enough flying cattle class without people being on their phones

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Interesting to note that AA do not allow VOIP with their onboard internet to be used.. A whole heap of people so close together yabbering away would be... uncomfortable...

 

[drewbles]

Whilst i'm all in favour of only allowing in-flight SMS, I dare say most peoples fears are a little premature.

It'll be similar in cost to roaming on a Cruise Ship, ie, f*$ing expensive.

Typically, roaming on a cruise ship is around $3-7USD per minute depending on your carrier. When in-seat phones were 'all the rage' on US airlines (as well as Qantas), you'll find the rates were/are around $5USD per minute.

When you use your mobile on a flight with a pico cell, you're effectively 'roaming' in a foreign country. Providers will be keen to recoup costs and carriers keen to keep annoyances down. I'm guessing the $5USD per minute will be pretty much maintained when the pico cells are turned on, and in-seat phones all but phased out.

People aren't going to have long calls on their mobiles whilst at 38000 feet with those kind of costs. It'll be handy for emergencies though.

And as a point of interest, most cruise ships on-board cells are actually managed by Norwegian and Italian companies. They treat cruise ships as their own country. I would anticipate aircraft would be the same.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

I've never had to use my phone while on a plane...but SMS would be useful sometimes.

Regardless I just want them to work out how I can use my iPod during take off and landing...then I will be a happy flyer

 

[harvyk]

Regardless I just want them to work out how I can use my iPod during take off and landing...then I will be a happy flyer

I agree, iPod for take off \ landing would be nice. It'd also be nice if all carriers left their AVOD on gate to gate

 

[Cyclogenesis]

DITTO!

I adhere to the rules but I dont believe them when a FCC compliant (Austick, EC etc...) device can interfere with the hardened nav systems of an aircraft...

 

[UP4014]

I suppose I'll have to pay a "surcharge" now to sit in the phone free area, geez.

 

[harvyk]

I suppose I'll have to pay a "surcharge" now to sit in the phone free area, geez.

Shhh, don't give them ideas...

 

[Bundy Bear]

DITTO!

I adhere to the rules but I dont believe them when a FCC compliant (Austick, EC etc...) device can interfere with the hardened nav systems of an aircraft...

One reason for the no electronic devices during take off and landing would be so that in case of an emergency you could be more aware of your surroundings. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic don't allow you to have your head phones on during take off and landing.

 

[Flying Fox]

Mobile phones in-flight. No thanks.

Its bad enough in Y sitting really close to a stranger let alone have them yabbering away loudly next to you (have you ever noticed how loud people talk when on mobiles).

And there will always be one person who thinks that they are super important and has to talk the whole flight (probably doesn't care about the cost either as work is probably paying the bill).

 

[dajop]

Practically speaking, I don't think in flight calls are going to be a nuisance at all, aside from the cost, has anyone tried to current in seat phone technology? Once I forgot something (I think I forgot to lock the car or something silly like that) and made a quick call, with the high level of background noise in the aircraft it was extremly difficult to have any sort of conversation - to hear/be heard. Any sort of sustained conversation would seem almost impossible. Maybe in the new quieter aircraft such as the A380?

 

[thewinchester]

I'd like to go to an even greater extreme, and see use of mobile phones banned from all forms of paid transportation, or at the least heavily discouraged.

I just get really hacked off at the large number of people who don't observe basic etiquette in public when using communication devices. A classic example on the train home this afternoon, with a 30-something women, more cough than class, yammering away at the top of her lungs about her personal life and what she would do to some person if they didn't do this or that.

Of course there's the usual teenagers with who slept with who chats, or sending texts and blocking the carriage so people can't get in or move down.

Sorry, we don't need to hear these conversations or put up with your ignorance and lack of respect for others. Discourage mobile use on trains, planes, ferries, shared taxis, everywhere you pay to commute with others and let us all get some peace.

Here ends this rant, normal programming to resume shortly

 

[anat0l]

BA rolled out OnAir on their new CW LCY service, but that is only SMS - no voice or video calls, and no data or VOIP.

OnAir is some other company; they need to establish the necessary technology to be able to let mobiles of certain networks talk to their equipment (e.g. I think T-Mobile UK network SIMs are OK, but Virgin mobiles may not be).

Naturally the rates are going to be .... "extortionate" .... but let's face it - we know what it costs to use the in-flight phone, so what did you think you were going to expect? Free service? Over my dead body and then some.

 

[ric.hayman]

That restriction may be more to do with their carrier than the airline - most telcos don't allow access to (eg) Skype - you need to be connected to wifi to use it on the phone

Interesting to note that AA do not allow VOIP with their onboard internet to be used.. A whole heap of people so close together yabbering away would be... uncomfortable...

 

[ric.hayman]

And how many times have you accidentally left your phone switched on for a flight - if it was really a problem, they would know that and not take off until all phones/devices were off.

DITTO!

I adhere to the rules but I dont believe them when a FCC compliant (Austick, EC etc...) device can interfere with the hardened nav systems of an aircraft...

 

[ric.hayman]

Like most commenters here, I'd be happy NOT to have to put up with other people's conversations in-flight, but SMS and (especially) data access would be useful (albeit expensive!)

BA rolled out OnAir on their new CW LCY service, but that is only SMS - no voice or video calls, and no data or VOIP.

OnAir is some other company; they need to establish the necessary technology to be able to let mobiles of certain networks talk to their equipment (e.g. I think T-Mobile UK network SIMs are OK, but Virgin mobiles may not be).

Naturally the rates are going to be .... "extortionate" .... but let's face it - we know what it costs to use the in-flight phone, so what did you think you were going to expect? Free service? Over my dead body and then some.

 

[codash1099]

Like most commenters here, I'd be happy NOT to have to put up with other people's conversations in-flight, but SMS and (especially) data access would be useful (albeit expensive!)

Outward SMS would be OK but imagine all of those beeps going off constantly as incoming messages announce their arrival. No phones at all, please.

(and yes, I am the typical grumpy old man :mrgreen

 

[samh004]

I think the key to this working would be set times to make calls. Or at least, certain times that you absolutely can’t make a call, such as when the entire cabin is sleeping!!

They’d also need some sort of acceptable usage policy to do with how loud you speak, and if necessary, cabin crew being able to stop them if there are noise complaints

Interesting to note that AA do not allow VOIP with their onboard internet to be used.. A whole heap of people so close together yabbering away would be... uncomfortable...

Not to single out just the Americans, but recently in the QP in Sydney a group of Americans came in, sat themselves in the middle of the lounge, then opened skype on a computer and began loudly having a conversation, sans headphones, to the US.

I couldn’t believe it. And if that started happening on planes I don’t think anyone would be happy.

Regardless I just want them to work out how I can use my iPod during take off and landing...then I will be a happy flyer

As Bundy alludes to, that’ll always be more to do with safety incase of an emergency. They need you to hear the crew, not incredibly loud death metal.

And how many times have you accidentally left your phone switched on for a flight - if it was really a problem, they would know that and not take off until all phones/devices were off.

I know a few members that might get stroppy if I owned up to that one, though I’m always on flight-mode.

 

[drewbles]

That restriction may be more to do with their carrier than the airline - most telcos don't allow access to (eg) Skype - you need to be connected to wifi to use it on the phone

I think that's what the OP was getting at. The GOGO internet service blocks commonly used SIP services on port 5060, but the problem with Skype is that it uses ports 80 (http) and 443 (https) for its connections.

What's likely to be done is TCP Fingerprint matching, and when traffic that GOGO receives is deep-packet inspected, they'll see a matching "fingerprint" for Skype traffic, and block it (and this is not science fiction - it's been possible to do transparently for a long time now).

Mobile Carriers do similar to prevent it now. iPhone apps are not allowed to use 3G for certain services, and the Apple Developer Program for iPhone prohibits them from being used. This means that Apps that are on the iTunes store have been vetted by Apple, and functionality over 3G is crippled for apps that they deem necessary to be crippled. This was done in cohorts with AT&T to protect revenue, as well as protect their already struggling 3G network. This arrangement then just flows by default to everyone else for this kind of thing.

Perhaps only allow calling via a picocell that's onboard in a certain area. Want to make a call? go go the "calling room". They could even just use a femtocell instead, giving less coverage. Heck, make one of the lav's a phone room, and put a faraday cage around it so people can only make calls inside