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72 Comments
- mnpilot, on 01/29/2009, -2/+43I just hope this doesn't lead to full phone use on aircraft. I am not going to listen to some chick talk on the phone for 5 hours straight about her shopping experience or some businessman about some presentation that he ***** up.
- presidentraygun, on 01/29/2009, -3/+40ZOMG PLANZ CRSHN, LOL!
- Hanny26, on 01/30/2009, -1/+24It makes sense that they would allow text/email. The only reason they don't let you talk on the phone is so you're not annoying the people next to you.
- epaps, on 01/30/2009, -0/+22I'm fine with this as long as the pilot isn't texting as well.
- newmanium2001, on 01/30/2009, -0/+20About freaking time. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the whole "turn off ALL electronic devices rule" is horse *****.
Screwing up the navigation equipment while we're on the tarmac? Really? What about the thousands of cellphones 20 feet away in the terminal? - grbruner, on 01/30/2009, -0/+17I have heard that this is the real reason they do not allow cell talk - an airplane full of people on cell phones in a crowded space 35,000 ft up is just asking for trouble.
I don't think the signals actually mess with traffic control (or at least they could avoid interference). But I've also heard stories of pilots picking up phone sex conversations. Both seem plausible. - Deejster, on 01/30/2009, -0/+16That's right, it doesn't. Aircraft can be fitted with microcells, which relay the cellphone signal to a satellite providing continuous cell coverage.
Emirates and Qantas have done this for a while:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=6§ion=0& ... - Biscuitz, on 01/30/2009, -1/+12I don't know what I am more horrified by. What he said (which I have no idea), or the fact that you could understand it...
- Typhoon2009, on 01/30/2009, -0/+10I've also heard that they don't want people gabbing on the phone in case the flight attendants have to make an important announcement.
- Biscuitz, on 01/30/2009, -0/+8At least texting is quiet.
- mickstephenson, on 01/30/2009, -0/+7The phone sex conversations is unlikely, the conversations are digitally encoded and unless they have equipment to decode the audio stream all they are likely to pick up is the noise you get when you put a phone on top of your hifi and ring it.
- DouglasQ, on 01/30/2009, -0/+7This news story can only be of interest to the passengers of that one particular flight.
- skintigh, on 01/30/2009, -0/+7Is he wrong?
- iJessicaRabbit, on 01/30/2009, -0/+7Hopefully they require ringers to be turned off.
- djrbx, on 01/30/2009, -0/+6I don't need in-flight talking nor texting, what I need is in-flight WiFi already!
edit: While they're at it, they can also include airports (plane's power adapter) for every seat so I can charge my laptop at the same time no matter where I sit. - usmcsoonerfan, on 01/30/2009, -0/+6I guess texting the hottie in seat 5B isn't such a bad idea...
- moothemagiccow, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5Oh god damn. So this is how it begins.
- nick2, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5Please make a rule where the cell phones have to be on silent! Don't need to hear text alerts every 2 seconds throughout the aircraft.
- mikbunn, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5It's a joke. See how he wrote it like a text message?
- IareKEVLAR, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5The Mythbusters far from PROVE anything, friend.
- Chairboy, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5If you can text her, that means you have her number. If she's given you her number, then you're already set up. You need only arch an eyebrow then walk to a lav she can see, make eye contact again, then walk in. Listen for the knock, then she'll help you undo all that hard work your chiropractor has been doing to fix you up.
- NA50, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5i'd like to buy a vowel?
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5they haven't stopped me before!
- ukblacknight, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5Unless they have their keypad tones on loud (seriously, why do people do that?) and their message alert tone on loud.
- mikbunn, on 01/30/2009, -0/+5Overly PC much?
- slanted, on 01/30/2009, -0/+4Agreed. "Allowing" us now means it wasn't a real problem in the first place. But don't forget, they'll "allow" you, for a price.
- nbx909, on 01/30/2009, -0/+4On an aircraft radio, you can pick up the "homing" signals it sends to the towers. I've flown (i'm a private pilot) with my cell phone on by mistake before, all you here is an anoying ping. Now that was one cell phone and by the end of the flight I was ready to tear the plane's radio apart trying to figure out what was wrong before noticing what happened. Now imaging 100+ people pinging towers, really really annoying. I've also heard that if you actually hit multiple towers, and that the FCC is afraid that it will overload the towers.
- normalkid0615, on 01/30/2009, -0/+4SO YOU CAN HEAR THAT I AM TEXTING LOLZ TO MY BFF 4EVR
- Deejster, on 01/30/2009, -0/+4See my comment above, britblogger - you /can/ get a signal over the Atlantic.
Aircraft can be fitted with microcells, which relay the cellphone signal to a satellite providing continuous cell coverage.
Emirates and Qantas have done this for a while:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=6§ion=0& ... - moxley, on 01/30/2009, -0/+4In general they don't mess with nav systems, true BUT they also do not work beyond 10,000ft (or, in many cases even above 6k ft) so unless the airline provides some sort of support, for 95% of your flight you won't be able to do *****.
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -0/+3the article also states that BA are allowing texting to operate between their London to NY flights, thus flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
I appreciate the argument, but you missed my entire point. - Phearce, on 01/30/2009, -2/+5Right. It has nothing to do with the lack of cell towers between London and New York.
- frequentFlyer, on 01/30/2009, -1/+4WTF LOL LOL
- inactive, on 01/30/2009, -2/+5pretty useless considering you can't get a signal over the Atlantic.
handy for giving a loved one an update when you're about to land I guess. - bjs3171, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2What are these magical cell phones that get signal thousands of feet in the air? Even over land, my verizon phone never gets service on a plane.
- mandarin, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Can the pilot text while flying the plane?
- TBITS, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2The only reason airlines don't allow Cellphone use on planes is because they want you to use the payphones in the seats. As for signal Planes would have to be fitted with transmitters, but during take off and landing there really isn't a problem with using cell phones.
- Greenergrass, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2I can imagine the nightmare, it won't happen I guess or a special place to do this!
- RudolfDiesel, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2The archaic cell phone policies do need to change, not that it's that hard to get away with using your phone anyways if you really feel compelled.
- Zippo, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Better hope that guy sitting next to you with his iPhone has the silence switch flipped...
click click click click click... clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick
booWIIP
DING
click click click click click... - bjs3171, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2who said anything about the mythbusters?
- Smegzor, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Texting is stupid. Well not the idea, but trying to do it on a phone pad. I don't text very much and usually use whole words (just less of them).
What I wrote was "The terrorists have won!" - Zippo, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2grbruner is right... while older phones did cause some interference (mainly with communications), as digital cellular tech came in and cell phones became wildly popular, all the airlines decided to just keep the ban on phones and pretend it's to do with interference. Better to keep the ban and not have to deal with everyone yakking.
Unfortunatly, if you're going to ban one type of wireless signal, blaming it on interference, a lot of airlines ban pretty much all of them, from WiFi to Bluetooth. Thankfully, this kind of ignorance is slowly going away.
Airplane systems are very well shielded these days. - opposite225, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Since when did cell phones even work in airplanes?
- gnotDigger, on 01/30/2009, -1/+3BUT THIS WILL ONLY GIVE WEAPONS TO THE TERORRISTS.. WE MUST STOP THIS. OH NOEZ!!!!!!!!!!111111!!!!!!
- teethandeyes, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2I would love to know which providers offer a strong enough signal that will actually work during a trans-atlantic flight at 30,000 feet. Perhaps I am ignorant about cellular technology.
- Deejster, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Isn't that what being an International Man of Mystery all about?
- Zippo, on 01/30/2009, -0/+2Just give my WiFi and ask me to make sure I use headphones... that's all I ask.
- bengringo, on 01/31/2009, -0/+1Planes can be equipped with Relay Antennas that bounce the signal to a Satellite for a Cell Signal. Emirates has been doing this for awhile now. This Plane will be equipped with one.
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