SATURDAY SOAPBOX
Fear of flying with Wi-Fi

It's goodbye to peace and sanity in the air if Delta's plan becomes widespread

By LEE U-WEN
CORRESPONDENT
Email this article
Print article
Feedback

WHENEVER I get the opportunity to travel - be it for work or play - one of the things I look forward to most is turning my mobile phone off and keeping it in my carry-on bag.

It's hard to describe the sheer relief at not having to deal with incoming calls or listen to the device beep because yet another wave of e-mails is streaming in - at least, until I turn the phone on again when I arrive at my destination.

So it was with some trepidation when I read earlier this week that US carrier Delta Air Lines confirmed that it would be introducing Wi-Fi access on some flights as early as October, before expanding the service to its entire domestic fleet of 330 planes by next year.

The first thing that popped into my mind was: Would the days of just reading your favourite paperback or taking a nap on board be replaced by whipping out your laptop for Web surfing and instant messaging?

Other carriers (including Qantas, American and Virgin) already have, or plan to introduce, Internet access on some of their planes, but Delta will be the first to turn its entire fleet into wireless hotspots.



While I can see things from an airline's point of view in using Wi-Fi as a much-needed source of additional revenue, I shudder to think what might happen to my sanity if I were to be seated on a flight, sandwiched between two people both typing furiously on their computers or Blackberries throughout the journey.

Now, while I'm the sort who has withdrawal symptoms if I don't get to use the Internet every day, I have always regarded aeroplanes as a sanctuary where I could enjoy a moment's peace, safe in the knowledge that I was completely uncontactable by the world below me.

Sure, some of us - especially business folk - will reason that having wireless access on a plane would be a productive use of their time, especially on long-haul trips, to clear e-mails and communicate with clients or family. Others will argue that watching clips on YouTube or 'poking' their friends on Facebook is much more appealing than the in-flight entertainment served up on some airlines.

For Wi-Fi in the sky to take off, however, prices have to be affordable - Delta is charging a one-time US$9.95 fee for flights less than three hours, and US$12.95 for longer journeys - and airlines must guarantee enough power outlets on board to charge those laptops and smartphones.

Thankfully, though, the buck stops - for now, at least - with making phone calls over the Internet using programs such as Skype, which airlines have indicated that they are not in favour of allowing.

I'm sure most would agree with me when I say that, on an already crowded plane, we would rather not put up with long, detailed discussions of Auntie Susan's latest holiday in Bintan, or how Peter in advertising has the hots for Tammy in corporate sales.

Flying is already such a drag these days, thanks to heightened security checks and numerous travel restrictions. The last thing I need is a seatmate who does nothing but yak and type.