December, 2006

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Hint: Riding on the baggage carousel is not a good idea
Ever wonder what would happen if you rode on the luggage carousel at your local airport? A New Hampshire 23-year-old decided to find out, and the answer wasn't good. Chris Jackson decided to take a seat on the carousel, which eventually took him out of the baggage-claim area and into a secure area of the Manchester (N.H.) airport. "It turns out [that's] not so funny after all, especially in a post Sept. 11 world," the Manchester Union-Leader writes. Local police Capt. Bill Hart tells the paper that it seems Jackson was just trying to have fun. "It appears it was simply a prank," Hart says. Still, Jackson was arrested on a charge of criminal trespass, and was led off in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police car. He’s now free on $5,000 bail and has been ordered to stay clear of Manchester’s airport. He has a trial date scheduled for Dec. 18.

Boston explores Wi-Fi options
Boston's Logan International Airport is among the airports featured this week. Yu writes: "The Federal Communications Commission will soon issue a ruling that could broaden airlines' wireless Internet service at Boston Logan airport. In 2005, the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan, banned airlines from offering wireless Internet service at their clubs in the airport. Soon after the Massport decision, Continental Airlines, which provided free Wi-Fi at its clubs, petitioned the FCC to overturn the ban. In banning the service, Massport cited security concerns. It said private Wi-Fi networks could interfere with the wireless transmissions used by the airport for operations, and by federal officials for security. Massport's decision came one year after Logan launched its own $8-a-day wireless Internet service, prompting its critics to complain that the airport was creating a monopoly. 'Logan wants the revenue,' says Craig Mathias, principal of the Farpoint Group, a wireless service research firm."

The cellphones are coming
Dubai-based Emirates Airlines announced today that it plans to become the world's first carrier to have in-flight cellphone service up and running on all of its flights. Emirates hopes to have the service installed on one of its Boeing 777s as soon as January before rolling it out to its entire fleet, the BBC reports. The timing of Emirates' move would appear to trump European discount giant Ryanair, which in August detailed plans to add cellphone, text and e-mail options on its aircraft starting in mid-2007. Ryanair's fleet-wide installation is expected to take until the end of 2008. Permitting cellphone usage in-flight is a hot-button topic among air travelers, with many adamantly opposed to the idea. The Guardian of London writes that "to minimize nuisance, passengers will be encouraged to switch phones to silent or vibrate mode and cabin crew will ensure that phones are switched to text-only mode during night flights." The paper adds that Emirates' service will allow no more than five voice calls at any one time on a single aircraft. Both airlines' mobile plans still must obtain regulatory approval. Closer to home, no U.S. airline has yet confirmed plans to add voice calls.

December, 2006

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