The (Un) Friendly Skies

I have a confession to make. I don’t turn off my mobile phone on airplanes. Yet, I have never failed to make it to the correct destination because of some mythical “interference with the aircraft’s navigational equipment.”

Keeping mobile phones in the off position on US airlines has always been more about making money and keeping the peace than getting lost in route to LaGuardia. Thanks to non-US airlines, that may be about to change.

Just about all the US legacy and low-cost carriers are rushing to add wi-fi to their domestic fleet. What they are also finding is that crafty passengers are (easily) finding a way around the blocks that are supposed to prevent VoIP calls in the air. Browsing and chatting online are okay. Talking, according to Delta, AirTran and others is not.

The airlines claim the FCC, FAA and passengers themselves want to keep the friendly skies a call-free zone.

While I’ve always enjoyed the sanctuary offered by hurtling through the air in a toothpaste tube at 600 mph, I’ve also longed for the option to make or take a call if I wanted to do so. There’s that whole consumer control issue again – I’ll make the decision, don’t decide for me, thank you very much!

Without knowing it, I had allies in my clandestine fight to keep my phone powered up after the boarding door has closed – European and Asian airlines. They, it seems, have cracked the code and figured out how to solve the real technical issue – interference with cell towers – and how to make money while doing so.

Emirates Airlines already offers the ability to use your mobile phone in the air and British Airways will offer the same in its new London City airport to JFK all business class service.

US regulators and airline operators take notice. No passenger riots from too loud phone conversations and no planes landing on taxiways in the wrong cities. Imagine that.

Chalk up another win for those brands that believe in letting the customer decide.