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from the queue-the-'Airplane!'-references-in-3,2,1 dept.
Pilotless commercial airliners are about to be tested, but potential passengers are wary:
How comfortable would you feel getting on a pilotless plane? That is the question millions of people may have to ask themselves in the future if they want to jet off on holiday around the world.
As we move closer to a world of driverless cars, which have already been on the road in some US cities and have also been tested in London, remotely controlled planes may be the next automated mode of transport. Plane manufacturer Boeing plans to test them in 2018.
A survey by financial services firm UBS suggests that pilotless aircraft not be too popular, however, with 54% of the 8,000 people questioned saying they would be unlikely to take a pilotless flight. The older age groups were the most resistant with more than half of people aged 45 and above shunning the idea.
Only 17% of those questioned said they would board such a plane, with more young people willing to give them a try and the 25 to 34 age group the most likely to step on board.
[...] Steve Landells, the British Airline Pilots Association's (Balpa) flight safety specialist, said: "We have concerns that in the excitement of this futuristic idea, some may be forgetting the reality of pilotless air travel. Automation in the cockpit is not a new thing - it already supports operations. However, every single day pilots have to intervene when the automatics don't do what they're supposed to. Computers can fail, and often do, and someone is still going to be needed to work that computer."
Fnord666: So how about it soylentils? Would you fly on a pilotless plane?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ledow on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:12PM (23 children)
Same here. They could even fly along protected airspace routes, isolated from everything else. So long as they have: No safety procedure nonsense or hard-sell en-route. No idiocy in terms of spacing and design (hey, gimme a little more legroom than I'd have in the most restricted of offices, right?). No stupid rules on when I can and can't use a phone or tablet. No stupid rules about TAKING a phone or tablet. A place to use a fecking phone or tablet in front of me. Free wifi / 4G.
I'd be on there, before you could say "Hey, customers matter too you know."
Sadly, it's never going to happen and as time has gone by, I fly less and less (haven't flown in years now) because of stuff like this.
Hell, if you could get rid of the security theatre (ship my damn luggage in an entirely separate drone plane, I don't care), I'd actually start flying again. But some places are now on THREE HOUR recommendations before your flight, which is just ridiculous. An entire day gone just sitting in various chairs or queues because you want to pop from UK to Spain or France is stupid. I'd rather drive, to be honest.
You could literally give current flights away with a packet of cereal, and I still wouldn't care or use them. I'd rather pay for my own personal bubble, on my own schedule, with whatever I want to bring with me, even if I have to do all the work (at least I'll be DOING something rather than staring at a monitor, trying not to scream at the ridiculousness of my leg position for hours, or step-stepping down an enormous security queue) and it takes twice as long.
Honestly, they've completely forgotten the purpose of most flights for people (to go on holiday, therefore relax) or who their customer is whatsoever.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @02:58PM (15 children)
How's that self-imposed jail working out for you? See something of the world much? How about enriching yourself by submerging yourself in a completely different environment, maybe even one where you don't speak the language or can't even read the script.
I'm sure your overlords are super-happy that you comply and stay where you are, that you've become docile while thinking you're resisting something. No my friend, you've done exatly what they want people like you, potential trouble-makers, to do.
Good luck with the Brexit, mate! I hope you're one of the clever ones and voted against it, but then there is a >50% chance that you're one of the dumb ones.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:11PM (12 children)
"How's that self-imposed jail working out for you?"
Were you going for funny, or are you fekkin' serious?
You DO realize that there are still boats, ships, trains, automobiles, horses, and, the old worn out feet that your mama gave you at birth? Self-imposed jail? That's what normal people call those flying cans of people. From the moment you walk in the entrance of the airport, you are under surveillance by armed guards, any of whom can, and may, decide to buttfuck you literally or figuratively - AND THERE'S NOT A DAMNED THING YOU CAN SAY OR DO TO STOP IT!!
One of us has been drinking the wrong flavored Kool-Aid. I can go literally anyplace on earth, without boarding an airplane, or dealing with the fascist sons of bitches at the airport.
(Score: 1, Informative) by WillR on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:26PM (4 children)
I don't know how long you've been under that rock, but somewhere around the 1970s commercial ocean travel was entirely replaced with "cruises" that spend a week poking around some scenic bit of water not far from home, and then come back to the same port they departed from.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:42PM (3 children)
http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/tours/boat-and-sailing-tours/international/freighter-travel [tourism.net.nz]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @05:14PM (2 children)
This is currently modded as 'Touche' but I call bullshit on that!
Unless you actually use this as your mode of transport for your yearly vacation, then don't come knocking on my door with these "but but... I *could* do X". That makes about as much sense as "I can overthrow a tyrannical government with my little pew-pew stick while they have thousands of tanks, helicopters, troops^Wmindless idiots, rockets and then some, and I haven't even started on what their actual firepower"
Secondly, I *know* you've never done this because you clearly don't know what happens when you get to a port...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @07:43PM (1 child)
Not runWay to move the goal posts. An itinerary was asked for, he sort of gave you one. The simple fact that it was claimed impossible is proven false by the fact that route exists. However, if that doesn't count for some reason, below is one you can book today, but note that there are even more options if you go continental US to Hawaii then Hawaii to New Zealand, and split it into parts and even more options if you include the crappier accommodations of freighter lines.
https://www.hollandamerica.com/details?webItineraryIdForAudit=P7S38F&fromSearchVacation=true&guestsCount=2&voyageCode=N760E&selectedMeta=Interior&shipId=NO [hollandamerica.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @09:39PM
Note to self: PROOFREAD!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:33PM
But do you? That's the question... When was the last time you went on a boat? When was the last time you visited something more than 1000km away?
(Score: 2) by Justin Case on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:33PM (2 children)
I wish this were true, but the fascist sons of bitches are even at the local subway stations. With assault rifles for my safety, of course.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:45PM
Yeah, but those are sub-fascist sons of bitches.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Thursday August 10 2017, @01:40PM
Let me guess...London?
In my experience, most of the world does not look like a living Orwell novel. Just London...
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:36PM
Self-imposed prisoner says self-imposed prison is not that bad, could leave anytime he wants, that he just doesn't want to leave and is there out of his own free will and for his own good.
Prisoner also said that life has gotten much better since the beatings are only every half hour now instead of every 15 minutes.
We'll bring you more about this Utopia, right after these instructions on what to buy and why life in this country is the best in the world.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 10 2017, @09:45AM (1 child)
If you got old worn-out feet at birth, you should complain to your mother. When I was born, my feet were quite new and essentially unused. :-)
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 10 2017, @01:55PM
Touche!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 09 2017, @05:52PM
what kind of dumb slave shills for a "government" of unelected bureaucrats masquerading as public servants, while they systematically destroy your country/people right before your brainwashed eyes. what a stupid whore.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Wednesday August 09 2017, @06:16PM
Er... I live in the UK. Europe is literally a 30 minute car journey through the Channel Tunnel. I don't even have to get out of the car (drive on train, drive off over end). Or on the multitude of ferries (drive onto ferry, drive out the other end). And on both I can take what I want in the car (I think LPG and weapons - banned anyway - are the only exceptions that can't go in the tunnel, but you can buy LPG the other end if you need it). Just from where I'm sitting, I could be in France, the Netherlands or Ireland in an hour, and from the first two, I can literally go anywhere in Europe, Asia or Africa just by driving if the desire takes me.
Three continents, dozens and dozens and dozens of countries without getting my feet wet. I don't think I need a plane, thanks.
And that's before you even include things like proper boats (cruise ships, etc.).
Air travel is only necessary if you isolate yourself on a continent and never move outside it. Most US citizens have never been to Canada, or Mexico. That's just sad.
100 miles South from where I am, nobody speaks English. I know, I tried to camp around that country. East, you have the same problem with a multitude of languages, but they tend to speak English too.
To be honest, South America is the only thing I couldn't get to that I might miss in terms of culture - Oz is just hot English people. America is... well... American. We had cultures before those countries were even populated by their modern cultures. In fact, excluding a minority of indigenous tribes, they were both seeded from with a couple of hours of me!
So I don't think I'll suffer, thanks.
(Score: 4, Informative) by SDRefugee on Wednesday August 09 2017, @03:56PM (6 children)
Up until last October, I hadn't flown commercially since 2004. I volunteer with the Redcross and got deployed to Baton Rouge to help the flood cleanup effort. Everybody told me, be SURE to be at the airport at LEAST two hours early. Boy, were they NOT kidding.. The fucking TSA line at McCarran airport was indeed TWO FUCKING hours and then the fuckin' TSA stole my pocket multitool. I barely made it to the gate. Fortuantly my return trip was from the tiny little airport in Baton Rouge, which took me about 10 seconds to do the "security theater"... I pity the poor slobs who have to fly frequently with this kind of bullshit...
America should be proud of Edward Snowden, the hero, whether they know it or not..
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Wednesday August 09 2017, @04:49PM
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday August 09 2017, @05:44PM (4 children)
For added fun, try an international connecting flight.
We flew from St. Maarten through Miami with a connecting flight out. Pass a moderate level of TSA in SXM, then arrive Miami - walk a mile, make a long line to get a chit from a "Customs Bot" then make another LOOOOONG line to hand your chit to a customs person, then walk two miles to your connecting flight... oh, but wait, you ALSO have to pass TSA again after customs before you enter the domestic concourse. We had 2:30 to make our connection, spent 1 hour of it waiting on the tarmac waiting to get a gate we could deplane from - then ran like maniacs from line to line to just barely arrive at our connecting flight as they were making last call for boarding... THEN wait outside for 30 minutes before we can actually board the connecting flight for some unexplained reasons.
Lesson re-learned: American Airlines suck, especially at their own hubs, and CustomsBot+Customs+TSA doesn't help.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Wednesday August 09 2017, @08:32PM (3 children)
When booking flights between CA and the UK, I notice that AA frequently offers flights where the chance of making the connection is close to zero.
They offer flight combinations where there isn't enough time to get through immigration and customs, deposit your bags back into the baggage system, then change terminals, get through security and finally, make the walk to the gate.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday August 09 2017, @09:01PM (2 children)
We're US citizens, traveling as a family with pitiful looking children, so we made the Customs-person line in almost no-time flat.
Non-US citizens would NEVER have made that connection after waiting on the tarmac all that time, and probably not even if we had taxied straight up to the gate.
You feel bad for the pilots, we took off 5 minutes late, landed 5 minutes early, but then they didn't get us off the plane for another hour. Not the pilots' fault, but I definitely blame the airline and curse them for counting that as an "on-time arrival" in their statistics.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Wednesday August 09 2017, @09:34PM (1 child)
I have experienced waiting for 45 minutes and more to exit the customs hall. Not a wait for my bags to appear, but a wait in the line to go past the checkpoint. I don't know what was going on on those days, but I was glad to have a long layover.
I have had layovers where I only made my connecting flight because my frequent flyer status got me into the faster line at the security checkpoint.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday August 10 2017, @12:35PM
Oh, we also only made the boarding call because we were carry-on only, for a 3 week stay. That was one line we got to skip.
🌻🌻 [google.com]