May 4, 2007

World

Task Masters of the World Rejoice

By Tiffany Hawk

Chatter takes to the skies.

That last refuge for being unreachable en route is fast shrinking across the skies. Although the FCC just renewed its ban on in-flight cell phone use in the U.S., international carriers are helping their passengers stay in touch. Qantas now allows text messages and emails on one of its planes. Emirates and Ryanair have a plan to roll out service over the summer. Even Jetblue has somehow managed to jump on the bandwagon despite U.S. restrictions. And beginning in July, Air France will test a program that allows text messages, with voice calls to follow three months after that. Pioneering new technology from several companies (including Aeromobile and OnAir) will route all voice calls through one onboard cell station. It will, however, only allow 14 calls at a time. Which in real terms will likely involve the following scenario: 14 frazzled flight attendants desperate for quiet who’ve “accidentally” left their phones running. Oh, and by the way, that late-night coffee they serve — trust us, it’s almost always decaf.