| July, 2009 |  |
< Prev Page 4 Next > |
FCC gets 317,450 calls the day analog signals are cut
The Federal Communications Commission received about 317,450 calls to its help line, 888-CALL-FCC, on
Friday, the day analog signals were cut off. In all, almost 700,000 calls came into the federal hotline last
week, the FCC said, from people confused about the nationwide move to drop analog TV signals and
broadcast only in digital. The move to digital-only TV was delayed from Feb. 17, and ramped-up efforts at
spreading the word is credited with roughly halving the number of unprepared households since then.
Nielsen Co. put the number of unready homes at 2.8 million (2.5 percent of the total television market) as
of last Sunday. About a third of Friday's calls to the FCC were still about federal coupons to pay for digital
converter boxes, an indication at least 100,000 people didn't have the right equipment to receive digital
signals.
Microsoft to launch Windows 7 on Oct. 22
Hot off the presses: Microsoft will officially launch Windows 7 on October 22. Details to follow.
Update: The Associated Press is reporting that upgrades will be free for people who buy a new Windows
Vista PC shortly before Windows 7 arrives, though Microsoft didn't say when the upgrade program begins.
Microsoft also didn?t say how much Windows 7 will cost.
Delta to install Wi-Fi in first wide-body jet
Delta says it will complete installing in-flight Wi-Fi on its first wide-body jet later this month. The first test
flight of the 767-300 prototype, which flies transcontinental routes, is scheduled for July 13. Since its
introduction of Wi-Fi last year, the Atlanta-based carrier has been aggressively expanding the service
throughout its fleet. Delta, which merged with Northwest last year, has completed nearly 60% of the
pre-merger Delta domestic mainline fleet with 183 aircraft now equipped. The pre-merger Northwest
aircraft don't offer Wi-Fi. But Delta's engineers have been "establishing the scope of work" for
Northwest's 757-200 fleet, and the final design review for its A319 and A320, which fly domestically,
will occur later this month, according to Delta. The following Delta aircraft now has Wi-Fi: MD88
(all 117 aircraft); MD90 (all 16 aircraft); B737-800 (1 aircraft); and B757-200 (49 aircraft).
Ryanair CEO: 'We are serious' about a toilet fee
It may not have been a publicity stunt after all. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says the European low-cost giant will
indeed start charging customers one pound (about $1.65) to use the toilets on its flights, according to
The Guardian
of London. There may still be some room to question his seriousness on the issue, as O'Leary did not announce a firm
start date or other concrete plans.
Still, he did tell reporters the toilet charge is expected to be in place on Ryanair planes within two years.
O'Leary adds that he's asking Boeing to look into putting credit-card readers on toilet locks for new jets. "We are
serious about it," O'Leary is quoted as saying by the Guardian. O'Leary made the comments following the
carrier's first full-year loss in nearly two decades.
O'Leary didn't stop there, taking the toilet idea one step farther. "He's now proposing ripping out two of
the three loos on a Boeing 737 to make way for a further six seats, claiming passengers can learn to cross their
legs on flights of only an hour or so," writes Alistair Osborne of the London
Telegraph.
The London Daily Mail
quotes O'Leary as saying: "We are flying aircraft on an average flight time of one hour around Europe. What the hell do we need three toilets for?"
That's not all. Ryanair says it may also begin charging customers for sick bags, if they're needed. There’s still more. The Daily Mail says "one of (Ryanair’s) more controversial plans (now) under discussion is (to) introduce new baggage measures, which would see passengers replace baggage handlers to load luggage onto aircraft." That, of course, would help cut costs by eliminating baggage handlers.
As you might expect, the latter proposal hasn't gone over well with some airport officials. "I am struggling to understand this. They have not discussed this with us," a spokesman for London Stansted tells the Telegraph. "There are security and practical considerations to be taken into account,” the spokesman adds.
But, O'Leary did stand firm against the possibility of one new fee. The Telegraph says he "has ruled out proposals to charge obese passengers more for their flights because he regards the idea as impractical."
| July, 2009 | |
< Prev Page 4 Next > |