Internet Access on Flights?

[Josh]

Gearing up for my trip to Germany in July and it's been a while since I've been on an international flight. Can anyone tell me if wireless internet access is standard on flights these days? (I should know this, but....)

Also, extra points to those with creative ideas for me to pass my time flying to Seattle, London, and on to Frankfurt.

[michelle]

Pray and read your Bible. Do I get a million extra points since that is the best way to spend your time??

[Josh]

Those weren't forum points, btw. Just Pastor Coles brownie points. And you just earned 1,000.

[michelle]

May 31, 2009 18:54:13 GMT -8 Josh said:

Those weren't forum points, btw. Just Pastor Coles brownie points. And you just earned 1,000.

[meghan]

I would be more concerned about the battery life of your computer, considering most planes don't have plug-ins.

Yeah. Find a really compelling book. Take your Bible. Find a puzzle book. And as impossible as this seems on an airplane- just try to have some quiet time DOING NOTHING. And then take a nap. I'm never able to do this on planes, and I'm jealous of those who can.

[Josh]

So, I can use the internet, right?

[carebear]

I don't know about internet access on planes. I just remember a stinky rotten egg smell coming from the air vents disturbing me while I had a layover at the heathrow airport. haha. the food and coffee is good though. have lots of fun!

[Margot]

Maybe enjoy the food and coffee and take time to pray and fast........FROM THE COMPUTER!

[Josh]

OK, the pastoral brownie points are wayyy out by now.

Fasting on an international flight? That's just below the belt.

[meghan]

you should... contact your airline about the internet access.

Still - battery life - 2-3 hours max? That's a LONG flight.

[michelle]

You can get extended life batteries that last about 6 hours.

Also, I didn't look into this further, but the last time I was on a plane I saw stickers on the overhead bins that led me to believe that there were ac plugins underneath the seats. You might check into that.

[Alex]

For a standard carrier you'll have no internet. Also power plugin's are rare in the back but depending on the plane you may see some in economy plus and forward. As a warning you can trip the circuit by charging off of them, they tend to only support running the laptop rather than running + charging. Plug in at the start.

Wireless devices are required to be switched off during the flight, including cell phones. The laptop needs to have the radio disabled while running. How the terrorists managed to fly four planes with all the cell phones on board running has yet to be explained by the FAA. Normally you will be sitting by someone savvy enough to know it's bullocks and will overhear all the good gossip as they chat with their significant other; whom they are already missing as you taxi.

Several coworkers asked how I could pull off the 'human statue' routine for halloween. It's a simple trick one learns when sitting on the tarmac for 4 hours in any of the connecting cities. As a warning air conditioning tends to be shut off on the tarmac - something about air cooled heat exchangers, fuel economy, and not wanting the heat buildup to cause an explosion.

Rebooting the electronic systems on airplanes is surprisingly common. I suspect occasionally it's not just the TV and ventilation system. While they do this think lightweight thoughts, this helps boost the glide ratio of the plane as they reestablish power.

It's a funny thing I remember when I was in engineering school; airplane parts aren't designed for 'safety factor' or margins, rather they're designed on 'probably of failure'. For some reason this saves weight. On the side, I spent a very pleasant evening in Hong Kong one night, sharing a pint with a technical sales representative from Airbus. His job was to troubleshoot airplanes when they weren't handling properly and his most memorable line was "They keep telling me 'they just can't get this one to set down'." We agreed the pilots obviously didn't know what they were talking about, since planes always set down in the end.


My advice is to carry a second battery and bring a book. For an international flight see if your plane has video on demand, you'll be happy for it. This seems more common on Airbus.

A few laps around the plane makes for a nice break from the regular. Stretch out while you're up and carry a toothbrush.

If the attendants are surly I like to play a game called 'congregating': When they want you to go to your seat - particularly if you're talking with someone else - they'll come up and tell you the new FAA regulations require people not to 'congregate', and that you'll have to sit down. See how many places you can congregate and how long it takes them to catch you. Try someplace obviously in the way, such as the galley or next to the staff sleeping quarters. When they come out to disband you, ask if they have any ginger ale.

Avoid sitting in the far back or next to the loo. The far back is where the crying children tend to be put; it's like the family section of a restaurant. This is doubly true if you're on a major adoption route. I have a theory that families tend to have less access to travel representation, and as such are targets for getting shafted on seat assignments. The loo its own obvious disadvantages, particularly the last meal on the tail end of the flight. Typically the lighting of the seat belt sign is the signal for everyone to make a mad rush on the lav before touchdown.

Remember some of the carriers are starting online seat changes before check-in. Use it. Love it. Find the empty seats, and strike back at the sweetly annoyed ticket counter, who assigned your seat based on a disdain for common people.

I recommend checking your pipe equipmet with your luggage, security tends to look funny at it.

Never be a special case to the TSA. They've no sense of humor.

[Josh]

Thanks for the advice. It's just brimming over from all your trips across the Pacific.

Except, as to the topic of the thread, now I'm really confused guys.

So, NO internet? Alex is saying no, but others seem like there is internet.

Has anyone hear actually used the internet in economy seating?

Bringing some DVDs is a great idea, though.

[Alex]

I've never seen internet on the plane.

By the way, if you can it's nice to transfer the DVD's on your laptop before going. That way you can have more and have to fumble around less.

[Josh]

Thanks. Bummer.

Well, it's DVDs and book reading then I guess!

I have a fair amount of books to catch up on, though.

I have God Delusion to finish, and Robin's book on Christian Universalism, Through Painted Deserts, and There is a God.....

whew...