Cell Phones on Planes: Coming to a Plane Near You?

The International Herald Tribune reports cellphones on airplanes are almost a reality.

Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, installed satellite-based technology enabling voice calls and text messaging on one of its Boeing 777 jets late last year and expects to begin offering the service to passengers on a yet-to-be announced international route early next month. The service has already obtained approval from air safety and telecommunications regulators in 25 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, covering about 30 different routes that Emirates flies. The carrier expects to outfit its entire fleet with the technology within a couple of years.

A half-dozen other airlines, including Air France-KLM, Ryanair and Qantas, are due to offer similar services in Europe and Australia later this year. Travelers in North America, meanwhile, will have to await the conclusion of ongoing reviews of the technology by both the Federal Communication Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration.

It has long been known within the industry, though fought off by the FAA, that cell phones have not been proven to interfere with a airplanes functions or systems, which is why so much excitement was initially expressed during the development of the WIFI Internet program on airplanes which Boeing recently squashed for economic reasons.

According to the article, AeroMobile, the British company providing the cellular technology to Emirates and Qantas, will allow any GSM cell phone to work on their system if the passenger’s phone plan includes international roaming. The initial rates are expected to be USD $3 to $3.50 per minute with the airlines, AeroMobile, and your service plan all splitting the fee.

There are some restrictions, technically, to this new cell phone system. AeroMobile and OnAir report that the cabin crew ill have the ability to switch on and off cell phone activity during the flight, which may include night time flights, allowing passengers to sleep if they desire rather than be disturbed. Aircraft base stations will only be able to handle a maximum of five or six voice calls at a time, with others placed in a queue until a line opens up, similar to the current seat-back phones. Dependent upon how many base stations the plane has, this will limit the number of calls made at any one time.

Still, with these restrictions, which may be temporary as the technology develops, it will be interesting to see how it will work with 40-300 people sitting next to each other in a confined space while a few people chat away on their phones at the top of their lungs. I’m sure we’ll hear a volume of complaints very soon.

 

Bulgaria Aircraft May Lose Landing Rights In Europe

According to an article by Areo-News, Bulgarian Antonov aircraft will be soon banned from landing throughout Europe:

Bulgaria is in danger of losing European landing rights for almost a third of the aircraft in its fleet. The European Union will ban any Antonov aircraft from landing on the continent because of that make’s high accident rate and generally poor safety record…

The European Safety Aviation Agency, together with the Joint Aviation Authority discovered substantial lapses in aviation safety for Bulgarian commercial aircraft. The report said that Bulgaria needed to take immediate corrective steps regarding aircraft airworthiness, maintenance, operations and flight crew licensing.

 

Squished Seating Sadness

It seems that Boeing blogger, Randy Baseler, recently stirred up a fuss over his post on Width is Which, about the issue of seat spacing in aircraft. So much so that he had to post a response to all the ruckus.

Airplane interiors - now that’s a topic that really gets people squirming in their seats!

The blog we did a couple of weeks back about the so-called “7 inch” difference between the A320 and the 737 turned out to be one of the more controversial topics we’ve done.

Some people took it quite personally. We’ve now posted your thoughts on the subject in our comments section.

Yes, Randy, people get really uptight about being crammed into airline seats like cattle, especially when food and drinks now come at a premium, and airline travel is becoming more hassle than fun.

But the fact of the matter is, as Randy explains, that seat spacing has little or nothing to do with the aircraft manufacturers and more with the customer’s interior configurations.

To point out the fact that when Airbus talks about “7 inches,” that dimension is on the outside of the A320. And that an outside measurement has little to do with interior comfort.

Yes, the A320 is a wider fuselage. And on the inside, at seat bottom, or knee level, that equates to about 5.8 inches wider - or less than an inch per passenger in six abreast economy class.

There is more to the issue of seat spacing. I’ve worked on many airplanes, new and old, and each airline has their own interior configuration and customization. Some like it tight, some like it spacious. Some want to cram in as many seats as possible, while others want their passengers to have a little more leg and shoulder room. Some want a large business section with more space and others want the whole plane to be a cattle truck. It depends upon the airline and what their specifications are, not necessarily the aircraft itself.

If you are worried, check with the aircraft specifications for each airline before you buy your tickets.

Still, as tall as I am, I long to be able to sit in an airplane and not have my knees jammed against the seat in front of me, pushing me backwards, crushing my spine into my seat.

 

Airplane Deaths Down, Accidents Up

“Accidents Up and Fatalities Down” reports The Airline Hub via Yahoo News.

Accidents in the United States involving commercial airlines and private aircraft rose last year, but fatalities declined, according to safety figures released on Friday.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for investigating transportation accidents, said in its annual review that civil aviation accidents rose to 1,779 last year from 1,717 in 2004…Fatalities fell to 600 last year from 636 in 2004.

Virtually all of the accidents and deaths occurred in general aviation crashes, those involving small planes. The fatal accident rate and the fatality rate both increased for that group of aircraft.

 

Slight Increase in Jobs for Airline Industry

Reuters reports that the “Airline Industry Sees Job Growth, But the Pain Remains”.

Employment prospects for airline workers are better now than at any time since the September 11 attacks, but the slight uptick in demand may not create jobs for all out-of-work airline professionals or lift the industry’s decimated wage structure.

Large carriers such as UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, US Airways and Continental Airlines have been adding staff since last year as competition on some routes has subsided and cost cuts have narrowed losses.

Still, struggling carriers continue to slash labor costs. Bankrupt Delta Air Lines, for example, is laying off thousands as part of its restructuring. Experts say joblessness abounds and compensation is down significantly as airlines struggle to keep costs in check.

“We’re in a hiring situation, not in a furlough situation, but I don’t think that tells the whole story,” said Sara Nelson Dela Cruz, spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), which represents flight attendants at United and some smaller carriers.

“It doesn’t tell the story of the thousands of people who were laid off after September 11,” she said. “And it doesn’t tell the story of the thousands of people who had to leave because they could no longer afford to stay in this industry.”

According to US government reports from the Transportation Department, the number of workers at major airlines dropped 21.6 percent from 2000 to 2004 and added 2,800 jobs in 2005, the first increase since 2000. While the domestic airline industry has been hit hard, the international airline industry is booming. While many domestic airlines are blaming high fuel rates and September 11 fallout, then why is the international airline industry not feeling the same heat? Makes one wonder.

 

Delta Airlines Strike and Closure?

The rumors and news about the failure of Delta Airlines to recover from bankruptcy and possibly facing major strikes are everywhere.

But the clue that makes me think that Delta Airlines is in real trouble came from the surprising announcement that travel insurance is being denied for Delta Airline Tickets:

Skittish insurance companies have stopped selling policies protecting Delta Air Lines customers from labor strikes, adding another layer of uncertainty for travelers counting on the airline to get them where they want to go.

Major travel insurance companies are turning down would-be customers in light of threats by Delta pilots and Comair flight attendants to strike if Delta and Comair impose major salary cuts.

A representative of Travel Insured International, based in East Hartford, Conn., said the company could not guarantee that policies purchased would reimburse travelers in the event of a Delta strike…

…Even Global Travel Shield, the insurance company linked to Delta’s Web site, has stopped offering insurance that would cover a Delta strike, according to two sales representatives. They said policies it issues from this point forward won’t cover expenses related to a strike because a strike is no longer considered an unlikely event.

Cincinnati Post - Travel Insurance Turned Down for Delta Airline Tickets

There are a few travel insurance companies that say they will cover insurance on Delta Airline tickets, but only until the strike is declared. After that, you are out of luck.

 

Flight Guard Approved for Israel Aircraft

Israel’s Globes Online announces that MI-Elta’s “Flight Guard” airline protection system has been approved for use on Boeing 767 airplanes.

The Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) has approved the Flight Guard commercial airliner protection system, built by Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd.’s (IAI) Elta Systems Group. Approval followed test flights of the system and certification. Flight Guard has been approved for installation of Boeing 767 passenger jets.

…ICAA director general Udi Zohar…said the fact that the military system that had been adapted for civilian use in cooperation with the ICAA was a very significant achievement, as it was the first system of its kind in the world.

IMI developed Flight Guard’s diversion flares. IMI chairman Ovadia Eli said IMI’s countermeasure dispenser system launched flares at instructions from the radar radar-based missile approach warning system (MAWS). He said the flares were suitable for civilian use, after their safety was improved and adapted to meet the threat from terrorist missile attacks on civilian airliners.

Elta developed and adapted Flight Guard to protect civilian airliners on the basis of a cabinet decision in 2002 that the system would be the first to be installed on Israeli airliners. Elta’s systems are currently installed in over 200 aircraft in 15 countries, mostly in military aircraft, but also in executive jets.

 

Air Canada Sees Record Profit for 2005

Aero News reports ” What A Difference A Year Makes: Air Canada Makes $300 Million Profit” highlighting that Air Canada, fresh out of bankruptcy, was able to turn the tables and reap a tremendous profit last year.

A profit of any kind for a full-service airline like Air Canada has been nearly unheard of lately, as other North American carriers struggle with high fuel prices and either the reality — or looming threat — of bankruptcy.

In fact, having cash on hand for the year is an anomaly usually reserved only for low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines — so how did Air Canada do it?

According to the London Free Press, a lot of it had to do with the airline’s parent company, ACE Aviation Holding, selling off over 14 percent of its Aeroplan customer loyalty program in a June IPO — that alone raised almost $288 million.

It’s also of note that profits aren’t unheard of for Canadian carriers. One of Air Canada’s main competitors, Calgary-based WestJet Airlines, also posted healthy profits for 2005 — but that’s not unusual, as the low-cost carrier has been a consistent money-maker.

Still, a profit is a profit, especially in a year that saw soaring fuel prices and not one, but two new bankruptcies among the other major carriers.

US Airlines are struggling, mostly due to a variety of reasons including mismanagement, and US citizens are paying the penalty for their struggle with higher ticket prices, no food service or onboard paid food service, serious luggage restrictions, and other pinches that tend to make airline travel not much fun.

Still, outside of the US, the airline industry is booming. While the US blames high fuel costs, the cost of fuel is even higher outside of the states, so why are foreign airlines doing booming business?

 

Global Warming and Airline Industry

A Reuters Alert called “Global Warming and the Airline Industry examines the impact the airline industry and plane flights have on the issue of global warming from the European Union.

Aircraft taking off from airports in the European Union should join the bloc’s emissions trading scheme to cut greenhouse gases that damage the environment, the EU executive Commission proposed on Tuesday.

Here are some facts about the airline industry and its link to global warming:

- Some 16,000 commercial aircraft pump out 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, consuming some 190 billion litres of jet fuel.

- Aviation causes 3.5 percent of man-made global warming, according to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. This could rise to 15 percent by 2050.

- Within Europe the aviation sector produces about 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. The European Union aims to halve carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft by 2020.

- Jet emissions include carbon dioxide, water vapour and nitrous oxides, at high altitude. Some experts say that flying is more damaging than driving as aircraft pollutants spewed high in the air enter the ozone layer straightaway.

The article goes on to list many more fact that may or may not be directly related to global warming. Airlines and the aircraft industry are currently working hard on minimizing fuel consumption, quieting aircraft noise, and reducing air pollution.

 

Inside Boeing Connexion One - The Future of Airplane Travel

New Scientist got a chance to fly in Boeing Connexion One, the test plane for the future of airplane travel. New Scientist reporter, Paul Marks, described the airplane trip:

On Friday, at 24,000 feet over the Irish Sea and travelling at 300 knots, the 20-year-old Boeing aeroplane in which New Scientist is flying experiences what many experts in radio interference might regard as a “nightmare scenario�.

Not only have the passengers been allowed to use cellphones in flight – not dreadful in itself perhaps – but the plane is stuffed with the latest technology, all potentially interfering with the plane’s electronics. Wi-Fi transmitters pepper the ceiling and live television and internet signals are being delivered through a 1-metre-wide satellite dish in the top of the plane.

Boeing was demonstrating two of the technologies it thinks will make flying more fun. The plane – Connexion One – is the company’s in-flight entertainment test aircraft.

He goes on to describe wifi networks for Internet access, satellite receivers delivering live television, people chatting on cell phones, and more. Wireless Internet services have been available on many European and Asian airlines for over a year, part of the project I’m working on here in Alabama for Star Aviation and Boeing Connexion.

Connexion One’s pilot and captain Jim Ratley says even with all the electronic equipment the aircraft carries there have been no adverse effect on his flight instruments. He says: “The whole system is meant to be transparent to the pilot so we’re not aware it is there. We’ve never had any reportable emission problems from any cellphone.”

The Connexion One, along with Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore Airlines, are setting the new standard in customer service for inflight services, while the FAA continues the debate for use of wireless and cell technology inflight.