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El Reg reports:
If you fancy spending your next European airline flight sitting next to someone who's carrying on a protracted conversation via mobile phone, you're in luck.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued new guidance to European airlines allowing them to permit passengers to keep phones and other portable electronic devices (PEDs) switched on throughout flights, regardless of whether the devices are in "airplane mode."
"This is the latest regulatory step towards enabling the ability to offer 'gate-to-gate' telecommunication or WiFi services," the agency said on Friday.
The regulators define PEDs as "any kind of electronic device brought on board the aircraft by a passenger such as a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone, an e-reader or a MP3 player."
EASA loosened its restrictions on devices in 2013 such that passengers don't have to switch them off, provided their Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, and other radios are disabled.
With the new guidance issued on Friday, airplane mode becomes something of a misnomer, as passengers are free to leave their devices' radios active throughout takeoff, landing, and the flight itself.
That's not to say airlines have been given a rubber stamp to let passengers do whatever they want. Each carrier must go through an assessment process to ensure that aircraft are not affected by transmissions coming from passengers' devices -- and submitting to the assessment is entirely voluntary.
(Score: 1) by canopic jug on Sunday September 28 2014, @07:36AM
I can see this leading to more fights on the longer flights, especially if they cut another 2 inches off the leg room and don't serve enough alcohol.
Also, if passing through areas under US influence, people with run down batteries will lose their devices.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday September 28 2014, @12:07PM
"don't serve enough alcohol."
In some ways that might be worse. You can put "Frozen" on the movie screen and people will chill or at least be predictable, sorta, but you have a bunch of drunks arguing with their friends and family and coworkers on the phone and who knows how nuts they'll get if their girlfriend and/or wife dumps then at 35kft in the middle of the ocean. Or their visa gets denied or they get downsized over the phone or whatever. If they're sober they still might do something stupid, but pouring them liquid courage isn't going to help matters much.
Much like there are quiet train cars, I'd like a quiet plane. I don't even mind if there's kids or the occasional 30 second emergency call, I just don't want to hear some jackass on a conference call for three hours, times 99 other passengers doing the same thing.
Maybe quiet plane section. So let the hyper extroverted idiots all sit in the front aisles and the quiet civilized people in the near silent back of the plane or whatever. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Sunday September 28 2014, @12:15PM
Space on planes has been increasing, at least long haul. What used to be the domain of F (flat beds) came into J, then the increased space in F came into J (even American carriers have acceptable products now). Mean while F has suites, and even butlers on some planes.
Flying long haul has never been better.
Short haul, unless you have access to a private jet, has become worse in Europe, especially with Ba's recent enhancement of legroom to economy standards, and don't get me started on the on board food and the downgrade of champagne. I don't fly short haul in the states though, but in Asia and the middle easy it's still very good for a couple of hours.
(Score: 1) by plnykecky on Monday September 29 2014, @07:53PM
Actually, when you lift any mobile around here over 1000ft AGL, they usually get much worse signal. As a result, they max their radio power, which consumes the battery quite fast. The two side effects that I see could be:
1) numerous desperate attempts to re-establish connection with the ground stations and
2) the associated noise it produces on the headsets of the nearest hipsters.