Business travelers need their phones and taxi and take off times provide valuable moments of productivity.
That dreadful moment the airplane door closes and all cell phones must be completely turned off … we’ve all experienced this. In a world of connectivity, being off the grid can be bittersweet. In a recent survey, the Wall Street Journal looked to find how many of us are actually shutting off our phones. You may find the results interesting. Does shutting off your phone actually make a difference? Or is this an old regulation that just won’t die?
This connectivity deprivation has caused the airlines to install wifi throughout most of their fleets. Gogo has been leading the charge and announced a new initiative with Delta “to provide connectivity services on the airline’s entire international fleet of 170 aircraft.” In the near future maybe we’ll start seeing wifi now on every plane, domestic and international.
This kind of connectivity goes a long way toward easing the dreadful closing of that airplane door, but hopefully we will see progress in the direction of easing the regulations that cause us to turn off our phones during taxi and take off. This world of connectivity can’t be ignored and in many cases, taxi times are significant. Technology surely has advanced in the last decade and should allow us to leave our phones on throughout the whole flight.
Where is Steve Jobs when you need him?
