Posts tagged Airlines at Switched

Posts with tag airlines

GPS Could Save Airlines Billions in Fuel and Reduce Flight Times

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 5:05PM

A new GPS system being planned by the FAA, called NextGen, could potentially save airlines 3.3 billion gallons of fuel per year (about $10 billion at todays prices)

The GPS system would replace the currently aging system of aerial highways that use use radar and radio beacons to guide planes. The use of GPS would allow planes to fly the shortest route between two points, shaving time off of flights and saving fuel.

Unfortunately, NextGen isn't expected to be ready until at least 2020, but the airlines are expected to provide $15 billion of the estimated $35 billion the project will cost. The airlines will also have to retrofit their planes with a new $200,000 GPS system. Considering their current struggles to stay profitable, carriers are understandably reluctant to layout such a large amount of cash to start equipping aircraft with a system that is still 10+ years from being functional.

If the system ever actually gets off the ground, it could keep many carriers from slipping into the red, but as with any massive government-funded program it's unlikely it'll be completed on time or on budget. Expect to see the first NextGen equipped planes to be rolled out around 2130 at a price of $3 bazillion per plane. [From: USA Today]

Kevlar Containers Could Thwart Suitcase Bombs

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 30th 2008 at 7:10AM

The government is currently considering new luggage containers for airplanes made of reinforced Kevlar, which could protect passenger jets from small suitcase bombs that might go undetected by luggage scanners.

Suitcase bombs have been a worry of officials since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, when an explosive slipped by scanners into the belly of the jet. Of course, modern scanners are much more sensitive and explosive devices that are small enough to slip by them could easily be contained if detonated within these five foot by five foot luggage containers.

Many airlines are resisting the idea, primarily because the government hasn't offered any financial assistance to institute the program. The containers are heavy (265 pounds) and expensive ($18,000). The airlines are already struggling to stay afloat and can't afford to outfit much of their fleet of aircraft with these containers. Additionally, the weight of the containers reduces the amount of cargo and passengers a plane can carry, further reducing revenue.

The containers are the result of 17 years of research and failed prototypes. Eventually, the government may shell out for containers on flights coming from countries with high levels of terrorist activity, but we probably won't see them on domestic flights any time soon. [From: USA Today]

Online Porn On Planes? Not If Flight Attendants Can Help It

by Dan Reilly, posted Sep 15th 2008 at 1:15PM

In addition to monitoring belligerent passengers and suspicious activity, attendants on flights with Wi-Fi are now worried they'll have to keep an eye out for passengers watching porn. If they have their say, airlines will employ filters to make sure nobody can view it. Not even for "educational purposes" or other excuses.

This all comes after American Airlines installed wireless Internet on 15 of its planes for a testing period a few weeks ago. Without citing any specific examples of travelers viewing smut or any other objectionable content -- but perhaps acting on a story that came out a few weeks ago about airlines not blocking in-flight Internet porn -- the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have contacted American's executives to voice their concerns. A union rep said they don't want to become "moral policemen" on board, but they also don't want to deal with the inevitable problems.

Naturally, the issue hinges on where to draw the line. The union cites the fact that passengers are barred from making Wi-Fi phone calls on planes and don't seem to have any qualms about it, so why not block porn and violence too? Others wonder whether to block sites or words, and if the airlines will even limit what DVDs a passenger watches. The one point nobody seems to be making is that you can still buy skin mags in the airport lounge. Shouldn't that have been addressed already? [Source: Bloomberg via Wired]

Airlines Won't Block 'Porn' on In-Flight Internet Access

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 28th 2008 at 11:47AM

At long last, Internet access is finally becoming consistently available on flights around the country (and the world). While most technophiles like us are completely jazzed at the prospect of surfing while jet-setting, other folks aren't so sure. As you can see from the above video, many parents and other porn-averse folks are concerned that mile-high-Wi-Fi will just open the door to some shady fliers surfing illicit porn sites as they cross the country. They might be right -- US Air is indicating it won't filter 'Net access, but will instead rely on its stewardesses to maintain the peace and handle any complaints.

This, too, has people up in arms, particularly the stewardesses who say they already have enough to do without having to worry about looking for smut (it sure is a long way from the days of 'Coffee, Tea, or Me.'). But we're inclined to think this is being blown way out of proportion. People have been watching R-rated DVDs and videos on laptops mid-flight for years now and we haven't exactly heard a flood of complaints yet.

What do you think? Should in-flight Internet be censored? [From: CNN]

Emirates Flights Going Paperless to Save Fuel

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 24th 2008 at 2:07PM

United-Arab-Emirates-based Emirates Airlines has decided to banish all paper reading materials from flights on their brand new Airbus A380 jumbo jets. Pre-printed materials like magazines, pamphlets, and shopping catalogs (goodbye Skymall!) will no longer be available on planes. Instead, content that was previously in those printed publications and pamphlets will show up on the LCD video screens at every seat.

The removal of paper will lighten the load the plane is carrying by one ton -- each seat holds approximately four pounds of paper and the A380 has 500 seats. Do the math and it's quite obvious that this lighter load will greatly extend the range of the double-decker jets. Of course, those video screens at every seat must weigh more than the magazines, so go figure...The good news, for people who hate to read on smalls screens, is that Emirates has some of the biggest LCD video screens in the airline biz (about 10.3-inches in Economy alone).

Ultimately, Emirates hopes to lighten the plane's load by five tons, which would allow the airline to offer nonstop flights from Dubai to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The inaugural flight of the new paperless A380 will be on August 1st, with a trip from Dubai to New York City.

Considering the marathon length of these planned super-long-haul nonstop flights, let's just hope they haven't removed the paper from the restrooms. [Source: Times Online]

Airlines Adding Advertisements to Boarding Passes

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 5:45PM

Is nothing sacred? Pretty soon, we will literally run out of space free of advertising. Ads have already begun sneaking their way onto our cell phones, and they get attached to the tail end of our e-mail, so where else can they possibly be squeezed in an attempt to sell us something we don't need? Why on our boarding passes, of course!

No we're not kidding. Delta, Northwest, US Airways, United, and Continental have all signed contracts with Sojern, an advertising startup, to place targeted adds on the boarding passes customers print at home. The ads will be targeted based on length of stay and destination city, and eventually based on customers' stated interests.

Passengers can opt not to print the lists of events, coupons, and restaurant recommendations, but we're sure that option will be conveniently inconspicuous. [Source: USA Today]

Virgin America's Got Tech Chops -- Take a Look

by Christine Whitney, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 3:55PM

Riding in airplanes is sooo boring. They make you sit down at the worst times, eat gnarly snacks, and watch bad sitcoms for however many hours it takes. Painful.

Virgin America is trying to make things better, though. The airline is on the verge of launching in-flight wireless Internet! Now you can sit around between New York and LA doing what you'd be doing anyway (in this case, reading Gawker and streaming episodes of 'The Hills' until we feel nauseous).

Charles Ogilvie, head of in-flight entertainment and general stand-up guy at VA, gave our bros at Boing Boing t.v. a behind-the-scenes tour of the airline's technological underthangs. (BBtv is featured on the airline's in-flight program, btw. No 'Everybody Loves Raymond' for you!)

You can watch Boing Boing's video tour (see above) of a pretty swanky Virgin plane and cockpit, starring Chuck O. himself and Xeni Jardin from Boing Boing. We admit, the setup does look pretty cool, but Xeni kinda freaks us out. [Source: Boing Boing]

Mobile Phones Could Save the Airlines Millions

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 3:02PM

A consulting firm working with the airline industry seems to think that mobile phones are the secret to saving the beleaguered industry millions of dollars. The firm, SITA, says that if the airline companies learn to properly leverage the features on high-end cell phones, it could save $600 million in the next few years.

SITA suggests using location-awareness functions like GPS to track passengers within the airport and to text message them with important updates about boarding and departure, reducing delays, and therefore saving millions of dollars (not to mention keeping the customers happier). Cell phones could also be used to store electronic boarding passes, luggage tracking numbers, billing information, and one day possibly visa and passport information.

Okay, but does this mean that everyone is going to wait until the last minute to go through security, thus creating super-long lines? And do you really want the airline to track your every move, be it to the liquor aisle at the duty-free shop or the bathroom? Do they really need to know? [Source: SMS Text News, via: Textually.org]

U.S. Wants Airlines, Cruise Ships to Fingerprint Travelers

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 10:30AM

The airlines and foreign governments are balking at a plan put forth by the Department of Homeland Security to have airlines fingerprint and collect sensitive data about foreign travelers as they leave the U.S. They claim that it represents an effort by the U.S. government to "outsource" responsibility for border security, and it would also set a dangerous precedent of putting private companies in charge of collecting and maintaining databases of personal data.

The airlines are also worried about the potential price tag of such a program. Airline representatives claim it would cost the companies $12.3 billion a year, almost $9 billion more than the Department of Homeland Security estimates, which might force some of the struggling airline industry to simply close up shop.

Cruise lines are subject to the same rules, so don't be surprised when Mickey stops you to stick your digits on an ink-pad when you board the Big Red Boat. [Source: Washington Post via: Jaunted]

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In-Flight Cell Phone Calls Now Allowed On Emirates

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 21st 2008 at 1:06PM

We've all heard the myths and rumors surrounding midair cell phone use; about how accidentally leaving your phone on while on a flight could result in you and every other person aboard plunging to their doom. Whether or not those conceptions are well-founded, they've been used as excuses to ban midair cell phone calls on pretty much every airline in the world -- until now. At last, certain flights on Emirates Airways are allowing passengers to officially get their calls and texts on.

The first fully authorized calls were made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca, letting passengers annoy their plane-mates with inane conversations about how weird it is to be talking on a cell phone on a flight. To keep the annoyance to a minimum, Emirates flight crews advised passengers to put their phones on silent mode and keep the volume down. Those warnings tend to be wholly ineffective in curbing rude cell phone behavior in movie theaters, but since flying is a somewhat riskier proposition than film viewing, here's hoping people listen a little more closely.

From Engadget

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