Emirates to equip fleet with AeroMobile in-flight phone technology. Emirates has announced that it is investing US$27 million to outfit its entire fleet with equipment from AeroMobile that will allow use of mobile phones in flight. The service will be launched onboard a B777 as early as January, the airline said. Calls will be linked to the ground using the Inmarsat satellite communications system already installed in all EK aircraft and will be billed to passengers' phone bills "as with any other roaming call," the carrier said.

Passengers will be allowed to make calls and send text messages "under guidelines that recognize and respect the privacy of all our customers," Emirates said in a statement. "Phones may be used at cruising altitude and the cabin crew will have full control over the system, including the ability to prevent voice calls at certain times, such as during night flights. The number of calls that may be made at any one point is also limited to a maximum of five or six calls, the same number as for the current in-seat phones used regularly by Emirates' passengers."

Despite these restrictions, EK is confident that travellers will use mobile phones in flight, noting that passengers make 6,000 calls monthly from its in-seat phones. AeroMobile, an ARINC and Telenor joint venture, said its system allows for safe use of cell phones aboard aircraft. Emirates and AeroMobile said they plan to add GPRS data and Internet capability to the system "as soon as the necessary satellite communications systems are upgraded later in 2007," which will allow the use of mobile-data-enabled PDAs and laptop computers to send and receive e-mails and access the Internet. Source: Air Transport World

Delta Air Lines announced plans to recall 1,000 flight attendants during the first few months of 2007. It is scheduled to train up to 500 previously furloughed cabin staff. The airline recalled 200 flight attendants in September. Delta has added or announced more than 70 new international routes since fall 2005, with many of the routes beginning this year and during 2007. Source: Aviation Daily

Now all those cell phone activated explosives will work? Dumb idea must be desperate for revenue.

Dash-Ate wrote:Now all those cell phone activated explosives will work? Dumb idea must be desperate for revenue.

Hopefully someone thought of that, but you never know..

but didn't you have to use gels as well ?

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) - Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) said Tuesday its iPod media players will be integrated with the in-flight entertainment systems of six airlines.


Passengers on UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc., as well as Dubai-based Emirates, Dutch carrier KLM and Air France, will be able to power and charge their iPods during flights and watch video content from their iPods on seat-back displays.
The service will be available on the airlines beginning in mid-2007. It will likely help solidify the iPod's dominance in portable players.

The in-flight deals are similar to ones Apple has made with more than a dozen automakers to have iPod-compatibility built into car audio systems. The auto deals, which include General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., mean more than 70 per cent of the new vehicles sold in the United States this year will have iPod integration, according to Apple.

Nearly 70 million iPods have been sold since its debut in 2001.

That's pretty cool. I have two iPods, a mini for on the road and running, and a 30gb 5th gen.

Best things ever, Apple got it right, imho.

grammar boy wrote:That's pretty cool. I have two iPods, a mini for on the road and running, and a 30gb 5th gen.

Best things ever, Apple got it right, imho.

Couldn’t agree more you’ve got to love all these new technology.