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WRC-11 Is Now WRC-12
The ITU Council, the 46-nation administrative oversight body of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has agreed to move the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) to 2012. Originally scheduled for October 24-November 18, 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Council has proposed January 23-February 17 as the new dates. According to ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX, the full ITU membership is now being consulted on the dates; responses are due by August 3. "The ITU Council had previously proposed dates for fall 2011, but various scheduling conflicts and the lack of available facilities during some weeks made this schedule impractical," he said.
US Airways to add in-flight Wi-Fi
US Airways is the latest carrier to say it will add in-flight Wi-Fi. The airline, which is adding Aircell's Gogo Inflight Internet service, initially will install the option on its Airbus A321 jets on "select domestic routes." US Airways has a map on its website showing those routes. "And later next year, customers will be able to see if Wi-Fi is available on a specific flight by looking for the Wi-Fi icon while booking their flight on usairways.com," the company says in a press release.
US Airways says it will detail pricing for the Wi-Fi "closer to the launch date," but adds "customers will be able to choose service from Aircell's standard pricing structure, which currently ranges from $5.95 to $12.95, depending on the length of flight and type of Wi-Fi enabled device used." US Airways says Wi-Fi will be available "beginning in early 2010." Fliers with wireless devices will have access to the Web, instant messaging, email and VPNs.
In a Q&A on its in-flight Wi-Fi, US Airways notes that its A321 jets "are not equipped with power outlets. Aircell recommends bringing a back-up power source for your device. … All Wi-Fi enabled devices will work with the Gogo Inflight Internet service including laptops, smartphones and PDAs such as BlackBerry Bold, iPhone and iTouch."
Continental installing live satellite TV on planes
Venturing where low-cost carriers have largely gone before, Continental (CAL) is now offering satellite TV, a move that could push its peers to follow suit at a time when competition is the fiercest it's been in years.
Since April, Continental has installed DirecTV (DTV) on 18 planes. By early 2011, the airline plans to have 77 channels of live TV available to passengers flying domestically on about 220 of its jetliners.
It joins JetBlue (JBLU), Virgin America, Delta and Frontier in offering passengers the chance to watch live sports, news and other programming on TV screens at their seats instead of programs taped earlier.
JetBlue and Virgin America offer the TV service for free. Frontier charges $6 to all but premium-fare ticket holders and some members of its frequent-flier club. Continental is charging $6 in coach and letting first-class passengers get the service free.
Fliers get advice on Internet etiquette
Now that it has become the first major airline to outfit its entire fleet with wireless Internet service, AirTran Airways is offering passengers a few do's and don't's.
Tip #134. "The lavatory is not your personal conference room."
The bathroom admonition is one of several included in the primer Internetiquette: A Guide to Keeping Everyone In Line, While They're Online that AirTran (AAI) will place in every seat pocket following its announcement Tuesday that the Internet is now accessible on each of its 136 planes.
With the smaller Virgin America reaching that milestone in May, and Delta, American and United moving quickly toward making all their domestic flights Internet-ready, travelers have entered the era of sky-high Wi-Fi. Now that passengers can connect to meetings, check e-mail and surf the Web in-flight, travel and etiquette experts say it wouldn't hurt for the flying public to get some guidance on how to behave.
"Any time we have a new way to spend time on an airplane ... it's a good idea to think about how it affects those around us," says Anna Post, an etiquette expert and spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute. "14B is not your office. It's an airline seat. Treat it as such."
In the midst of an economic downturn that has caused the airline industry to lose passengers and revenue, carriers view Wi-Fi as a perk that can help entice business fliers and others back on board.
Delta, which merged with Northwest last year, has already outfitted 199 of its planes, with the rest of its domestic mainline aircraft scheduled to be Internet-ready by the end of this year. Northwest's fleet will be ready in the last six months of 2010.
American, aiming to have Internet access on roughly 300 of its domestic aircraft, has equipped 70 so far and plans for the rest to be completed some time next year.
"Over time, we think this will serve us very, very well," says Bob Fornaro, chairman and president of AirTran. He adds that with the Internetiquette guides, part of a broad advertising campaign spanning TV, radio and billboards, "we're trying to remind you in a fun way that you're not at home" when surfing the Web at 35,000 feet.
| August, 2009 | |
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