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created 11 months ago | Tagged: |
Locke!
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It's our airborne island of cell phone solitude. But for how much longer? Airplanes -- the final frontier for unplugging from all the noise going on 30,000 feet below -- seem to be creeping toward allowing cell phone use. And Virgin Atlantic is leading the way, announcing it has begun to allow phone calls, e-mails, texts and smartphone web browsing on some flights between New York and London. They plan to expand it to 20 flights by the end of the year. It's great news for those who want to stay connected, but reason to wave the white flag of quiet time for those who'd rather not. However, before you go entering a five-hour Words With Friends marathon (you listening, Alec Bladwin?) to pass the time and distract yourself from the in-flight showing of "Jack & Jill" consider this: The service will cost $1.20 per minute. Oh, and only six passengers can use it at a time, so you may have to wait in a virtual line -- though if it's going to cost $10 just to type and send a text, we imagine that line will move rather quickly. "The service is intended for use in exceptional situations, when passengers need to send an SMS, make a quick call, or access an e-mail on a BlackBerry," Virgin said in a press release.
The airline will be outfitting its new Airbus A330-300s and some Boeing 747s with the service, called AeroMobile. Only customers of cell phone carriers T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2 will be able to use it when it debuts. Cell phone use on planes is still forbidden in the U.S., so all devices will have to be shut off once the plane is within 250 miles of American airspace. Virgin's COO Steve Griffiths said, "We have listened to what customers want and connectivity in the air is always on the wish list. Many people will have experienced that moment when you're about to take off on a 10-hour flight and you need to send an important message to the office, or even reminding a family member to feed the cat." And while there would be many advantages, large and small, to enabling cell phones on airlines, some passengers may be concerned about turning the cabin into the world's chattiest and most claustrophobic phone booth. At least when you're stuck next to someone yapping loudly on their cell in a subway, bus or just standing in line, you know it will be over soon. But the same scenario while strapped into a seat five miles above the Atlantic Ocean? That may be enough to force someone to crank the volume on "Jack & Jill." Several airlines across Europe and the Middle East already allow in-flight cell use and have done so for a several years. So has the time come for the U.S. to do away with its ban? Would you prefer to be allowed to chat and email while on a plane? Share your thoughts with us on this one in the comments below or over on our HLN Facebook page.
