|
Monday December 28, 2009
|
Updated. JetBlue now says they've returned Live TV and entertainment to all of their flights. Wow, things change fast.
Original post. New security regulations put in place after last week's terrorist incident aboard a Northwest Airlines jet are going to make flying into the US difficult, boring and unpleasant, at least for a little while.
First, the good news: both Virgin America and Southwest confirmed that new regulations don't seem to affect domestic US flights. So laptops, Live TV and other distractions are still A-OK if you're flying within the USA.
The problem comes for folks flying into the USA from elsewhere. According to rules quoted on Gizmodo, you can't hold anything in your lap or access your carry-on bags for the last hour of a flight, and any in-flight communications equipment, including live TV and Internet, must be turned off for the entire duration of the flight. Airlines have so far interpreted this to mean that you can read an analog book, but not use a laptop during that final hour. It's unclear whether this prohibits iPods or other gadgets that could be stored in a pocket rather than a lap.
But wait! It gets worse! JetBlue confirmed to me this morning that because they can't unravel their Live TV system from the rest of their in-flight entertainment, they're turning off all in-flight entertainment on flights from foreign countries into the US. That means no movies for the whole flight (although you can use your laptop, except for the final hour). They're working on a solution to allow for movies on flights into the US, they said.
JetBlue only flies relatively short international routes, mostly to and from the Caribbean. We haven't heard details from any longer-haul carriers who don't have live TV integrated into their entertainment systems.
Fortunately, reliable airline analyst Chris Elliott says that several of the security bulletins involved expire on January 1, which means that this draconian regime may be short-lived.
For a full guide to the new security regulations - independent of gadgets - check out Frommers.com.
|
|
|
Mixx It
Digg It
Stumble
More...
December 28, 2009 12:13 PM
We experienced this stupid measure first-hand flying home from Mexico Saturday (12/26). They made us turn off our iPods and lock our seat backs up with tray tables stowed for the last hour and a half of the flight. Since my in-flight entertainment was a book on tape, that meant sitting ramrod straight, staring at the seat in front of me and twiddling my thunmbs for an hour and a half.
The whole measure suffers from a paucity of common sense, and seems designed to punish average flyers with arbitrarily imposed draconian rules. Does the TSA honestly think the next 9/11 will come from Jihaddists who recline their seats and keep their tray tables down? Seriously.
December 28, 2009 12:21 PM
LiveTV is available on all JetBlue flights once again. No need to pack 8lbs of books and magazines! Enjoy movies, DirecTV and XM Satellite radio when you jet with JetBlue.
December 28, 2009 12:49 PM
Of all of the stupid ideas that have come out of this administration, these wouldn't even make the first page.....