Listening in on United's Channel 9

By Mike Grasso

Among the variety of audio selections available on United Airlines’ aircraft is Channel 9, which is dedicated to air traffic control communications. This programming, unique to United, allows passengers to monitor the airwaves and listen in on discussions ranging from upcoming weather and pilot reports of turbulence. Although most of the communication between air traffic control and pilots is fairly routine such as orders to adjust altitude, occasionally some rather exciting conversations take place.

In one instance, I listened in on a JetBlue flight requesting a reroute due to a depleting fuel supply from unanticipated inclement weather. Conditions continued to deteriorate until the pilot demanded to immediately land the aircraft in a nearby city. In another example, our pilot was within 50 feet of landing on the runway at SFO when he decided to immediately abort landing and quickly ascend back up. The reason as heard on Channel 9: Onboard computer was warning of a spacing issue as another plane was landing on a parallel runway. Definitely some exciting activity and exchanges of words on Channel 9, although most of the time it is pretty tame.

Channel 9 is available on most mainline United Airlines (not United Express) aircraft, and is subject to pilot discretion whether to substitute alternate programming.

Reclining Your Airline Seat: How Do You Do It?

On occasion I've referenced particular threads of interest over on the Flyertalk forums. The Flyertalk community is full of spirited conversation about the latest trends, deals and gossip in the travel world, with side rants on almost any popular topic known to man. Last week, I found a lively discussion about the etiquette of reclining a seat in-flight. Although there have been other threads on this topic in the past, for now at least, this one has focused on self disclosure of reclination habits and observations of how others do it. If you fly enough, you know what we're talking about here. Here are a few excepts (some of the more comical ones) from the thread:

-From a passenger sitting behind Passenger 1A: "He brought his seat forward. Then whipped into recline mode......then forward to look out the window. Then.....slammed into recline...."

-"They have control of the seat....you have control of the air vent for your seat, which oddly enough if placed to its full fwd position and turned to max flow blows right on a fully reclined seat. They turn around and complain tell them if they put their seat up a couple of inches it shouldn't bother them."

-"I always have these nightmares about someone in front of me reclining quickly and snapping my laptop screen off."

-"If they are being aggressive or frequent with their seat reclines, I will ask them to be a little more considerate of my knees. Likewise, I have no problem saying something to the parent of the child behind me who insists on kicking the back of my seat."

Read the entire thread here.

American Airlines Switching to Cashless Cabins

On Tuesday American Airlines announced that beginning this summer it will begin to transition to cashless cabins onboard flights within the United States and to and from Canada. On those flights, American will only accept major credit cards or debit cards for onboard purchases such as headsets, meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages.

In a press statement, the airline said the change will allow it to streamline the in-flight sales process. Flight attendants will use hand-held electronic devices that will scan credit cards.

(Photo courtesy of American Airlines)

Travel Tips For A Relaxing Flight

By Mike Grasso
It seems much of the travel news lately has been dominated by service cutbacks and added fees. We've heard everything from airlines slashing routes, cutting out in-flight entertainment, utilizing fewer flight attendants, and now even an increase in the cost to purchase alcohol; so much for drinking away the aches of air travel. But there are steps you can take to improve your next flight experience, even in the wake of industry changes negatively impacting travelers.

-Bring your own _____ (fill in the blank). Pillow, food, toiletries, hand sanitizer, baby wipes (for those foul tray tables). Do not let the poor quality or lack of these items on your flight be the cause of a bad experience. Bring your own goodies. Chances are, the food you bring on the plane will be an improvement over anything the airline is serving up.

-Carry water on board. TSA permits empty water bottles to be carried through security check points. You can fill these up at water fountains, or at food vendors inside the airport terminal before boarding your plane. We all know staying hydrated is important for health, but it is particularly necessary during flight when the air is quite dry.

-Create your own entertainment. As fun as watching passengers try to cram oversize luggage into the small overhead compartments is, at some point the plane must leave and you will be forced to find other forms of entertainment. Consider bringing along a variety of books, magazines, digital music player, laptop, diary or camera. Conversation with a fellow traveler can be pleasing, at times, too. The idea is to have a reserve of options available to you.

-Pick your seat in advance, then again at check-in. That is, pick your seat once you buy your ticket, then look again during check-in. Sometimes a better seat opens up, or an aircraft swap (for a larger or smaller one) means your original seat assignment changed.

Virgin America Introduces 'Main Cabin Select' Service

San Francisco-based Virgin America announced today an option called, "Main Cabin Select,"whereby coach-class passengers can buy up to receive an enhanced in-flight experience. MCS, which will be available on flights beginning on October, includes coach-class seats configured with 38" seat pitch (6 inches more than a typical seat), dedicated overhead bin space, complimentary food and cocktails, and an all-access pass to the Red In-inflight entertainment system.

From a service standpoint, Main Cabin Select is situated between First and Coach class, although MCS amenities sound closer to a first class product. MCS will be available for purchase starting September 15, 2008, for flights beginning from mid-October 2008 on. No word yet on the price tag for passengers seeking MCS.

U.S Airways To Shut Off In-Flight Movies

It a fuel savings estimated at $10 million a year, US Airways says it will stop showing in-flight movies on its domestic flights. According to Bloomberg news, the video systems add about 500 pounds to a plane, increasing overall fuel consumption. The movie systems will be turned off November 1st, but will remain operating for Hawai'i and trans-Atlantic flights.

JetBlue To Show Hollywood First-Run Movies

New York-based JetBlue airlines announced an agreement with six major Hollywood studios to launch premium first-run movies during flights. Each month six new titles will be offered.

For June, the movies are:

• College Road Trip
  
• Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who


• Vantage Point


• The Other Boleyn Girl


• Fool's Gold


• 10,000 B.C

The movies will be available on flights greater than 2 hours, and for a nominal fee of $5. Direct-TV and XM radio programming will continue to be offered at no charge.

A race to the finish line: Which U.S airline will offer internet first?

First came Southwest, followed by American, now Virgin America is in the race...the race to see who offers Internet first onboard their U.S flights. But, we've been here before. Sift through your archived Business Week and Technology mags, and you will locate mounds of chatter about how planes are "ready" for Internet service. Many airlines have taken an interest, some have even tested the product since receiving FCC approval back in 2001. But, now in 2007, still no carrier has actually launched the service. That may soon change.

Now a company called AirCell, partnering with Virgin America (and other airlines), has asserted that Wi-Fi will spring to life sometime in 2008. In a press release, AirCell said passengers can "check e-mail, surf the Web, tap into an office network and stay current on the latest news, using either Virgin America’s Red™ in flight entertainment system or their own Wi-Fi enabled laptops, Smartphones, PDAs, BlackBerrys and portable gaming systems - while in flight."

United, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska and American are all somewhere between considering and testing stages for Internet service on their planes. Hopefully with Virgin America advancing to the head of the pack, this will encourage the other carriers to speed up their techie folks and make the Internet an industry standard in the coming years.