Delta Seeks To Turn Planes Into Airborne Brawl Containers
"Delta to Offer Free In-Flight Text Messaging" is the New York Times headline. Tiffany Hsu writes:
Wi-Fi rarely comes cheap for airline passengers. But Delta Air Lines is about to offer one form of connection at no charge: text messages.The airline said on Wednesday that it would offer free mobile messaging on flights beginning Sunday.
...Delta said that passengers on all flights on planes equipped with Wi-Fi from the broadband provider Gogo -- which covers all but 130 small commuter planes out of the airline's 1,300 aircraft -- would be able to send real-time texts through the apps iMessage, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, including international trips. SMS texts sent through cell networks will not be allowed, per regulatory restrictions, the airline said.
..."Voice is the third rail -- nobody wants to go near it," Mr. Mann said. "Who wants to listen to that inside of a flying tube?"
Um, about that text messaging...
If you do it next to me with those little click sounds turned on on your phone, I will smother you with a dirty airline pillow. https://t.co/TODvwjzIF1
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) October 1, 2017
You don't have to worry about the clicks from us. My husband uses talk to text and my clicks are turned off. Of course, at times my fingernails grow. You may hear them tapping.
Jen at October 1, 2017 8:07 AM
Not to mention the little notification beep every time a response comes in. I can imagine the entire cabin beeping like Vegas casino.
Conan the Grammarian at October 1, 2017 8:12 AM
It shouldn't be a problem. Shouldn't. But some people are so clueless about making noise.
A_random_guy at October 1, 2017 11:33 AM
It's already here, at least in some situations.
On my last flight (Alaska Airlines, earlier this month) I discovered inadvertently that texting was possible the whole way when I got one and was able to reply. (Turned out it wasn't the airline, but a feature of my carrier, T-Mobile.) I had headphones on, so the sound wasn't audible to anyone else.
The idea of actual phone or VOIP calls mid-air — I can imagine daily air rage situations.
Kevin at October 1, 2017 12:02 PM
Just what the airlines need, another way to annoy their customers.
Jay at October 1, 2017 12:29 PM
Ha! This kind of nonsense and rude behavior is already here.
The "quiet car" on my commuter train, when it actually is quiet, is still filled with all those dings, pings, and others annoying sounds.
Yep, some folks are just plain clueless as to how noisy they are, and how annoying they are.
charles at October 1, 2017 1:56 PM
Apparently it's the new business model. Screw the customers!
NFL players, coaches, and owners have yet to recognize that they are selling a product to the public and the public is not interested in what comes with the product; that the NFL cannot dictate how the customer uses the product.
Former commissioners, Bert Bell and Pete Rozelle, understood that the NFL is selling entertainment and competing with anything else on which you can spend your money and time on a Sunday afternoon. Current Commissioner, Roger Goodell, and the owners do not seem to understand this.
The current crop of owners inherited their teams, they did not build them. They see the NFL as a cash machine from which they can make unlimited withdrawals, not as an entertainment medium with limited appeal. They do not grasp that the public has a limited patience for nonsense from overpaid entertainers and greedy corporations.
Likewise, the airlines view themselves as a necessity, not as a product to be sold to the buying public. Like the NFL, the airlines see themselves as having no competition. As such, they feel they can dictate the add-ons you get with the product you purchase from them.
Conan the Grammarian at October 1, 2017 3:04 PM
Those little click sounds can be very annoying. However, I'd be surprised if they're audible over the jet engine noise.
Ron at October 2, 2017 3:08 PM
Leave a comment