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IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 23 Nov 2012, 23:03
by Hamster
Have seen on FT that BA will offer the use of IFE from boarding to landing from December. They have managed to get CAA approval, and BA provided headphones will be allowed during take off.

Obviously not so beneficial to F and CW pax.

How long till VS start this?

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 23 Nov 2012, 23:09
by buns
Ignoring the airline rivalry piece for the moment, I am not entirely comfortable with folks distracted at one of the most crucial portion of he flight

buns

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 10:47
by bethanicus
I think it's fine as long as the pilot can interrupt the IFE for announcements. It worked for announcements for turbulence on my last flight and it's easier to understand what's being said over headphones than the PA system anyway.

Also, it seems to take a long time to get the IFE up and running.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 10:52
by hat
AA have had the IFE turned on from push back for some time now. i can't remember at what point they turn it off for landing

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 11:20
by David
Got to agree with Buns on this one.

We had a little flight with AA (MIA to MCO) and it was very disturbing watching passengers with earphones on, leads wrapped round arm rests etc during takeoff.

( the bags scattered round everywhere and people with bottles and cups in their hands didnt help either )

Flying has never bothered me, but when you see someone with earphones on sitting next to you in an exit row, during takeoff, singing away to some scatchy noise, it makes you think !

How could you tell what the earphones where plugged into ? - the IFE - where you could hear any announcements, or an ipod drowning out everything ?

David

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 11:39
by ken54
All IFE can be interupted on all BA aircraft by the captain

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 11:48
by PaulS
David wrote:Got to agree with Buns on this one.

We had a little flight with AA (MIA to MCO) and it was very disturbing watching passengers with earphones on, leads wrapped round arm rests etc during takeoff.

( the bags scattered round everywhere and people with bottles and cups in their hands didnt help either )

Flying has never bothered me, but when you see someone with earphones on sitting next to you in an exit row, during takeoff, singing away to some scatchy noise, it makes you think !

How could you tell what the earphones where plugged into ? - the IFE - where you could hear any announcements, or an ipod drowning out everything ?

David


I am quite sure that if an emergency was declared the commotion that follows would ensure all aboard were immediately aware. Having suffered an aborted take off on a 747 at very high speed I can assure you that within milliseconds everyone on that plane was focused.

I think the more alarming factor is the ability to quickly evacuate an aircraft with the high number if wheelchair bound passengers on board some flights. There were 65 on my last flight and the majority were heavy set to be kind. If you we're trapped on the inside of one of these passengers you would have great difficulty in getting out. If it takes a good twenty to 30 minutes to board them then I can't see how an emergency evacuation could be done any quicker

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 12:03
by mdvipond
We flew with JetBlue from MCO up to Washington last month, and I was most surprised that the IFE was on from boarding to gate. And live TV too!

Slightly unnerving for a Brit traveller, but I don't suppose it's really that big a deal. If the captain were to interrupt to say "Oh, by the way, we're crashing", I'm sure most people would pay attention...

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 12:26
by virginboy747
But if you're listening to an iPod etc you're not going to hear any of the announcements or instructions plus the risk of getting wires tangled round your neck etc in the stampede to get out!

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 12:47
by PaulS
virginboy747 wrote:But if you're listening to an iPod etc you're not going to hear any of the announcements or instructions plus the risk of getting wires tangled round your neck etc in the stampede to get out!


Trust me I've done it and half the passengers didn't even speak English, but within milliseconds everyone was focused upon getting off that aircraft. Earphones are flimsy and would soon detach. As I said I would be more concerned about the infirm, intoxicated (and let's face it people do get on under the influence) and the idiots that insist in getting there property from the overhead lockers

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 14:39
by HWVlover
mdvipond wrote:We flew with JetBlue from MCO up to Washington last month, and I was most surprised that the IFE was on from boarding to gate. And live TV too!


Emirates have IFE on from start to finish. And, never mind films and music, I love watching the plane I am on take off and land using the various cameras.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 15:00
by MoJoJo
SwissAir also have IFE on and like HWVLover I was intrigued to watch take off and landing of the plane I was on.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 15:02
by MoJoJo
PaulS wrote:
virginboy747 wrote:But if you're listening to an iPod etc you're not going to hear any of the announcements or instructions plus the risk of getting wires tangled round your neck etc in the stampede to get out!


Trust me I've done it and half the passengers didn't even speak English, but within milliseconds everyone was focused upon getting off that aircraft. Earphones are flimsy and would soon detach. As I said I would be more concerned about the infirm, intoxicated (and let's face it people do get on under the influence) and the idiots that insist in getting there property from the overhead lockers


Yep, the VS flight that returned to LGW on its way to MCO earlier this year had a load of passengers more interested in getting their stuff from e overheads than actually getting off the plane as quickly as possible

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 24 Nov 2012, 16:38
by hat
HWVlover wrote:
mdvipond wrote:We flew with JetBlue from MCO up to Washington last month, and I was most surprised that the IFE was on from boarding to gate. And live TV too!


Emirates have IFE on from start to finish. And, never mind films and music, I love watching the plane I am on take off and land using the various cameras.


i think it was BMI that used to offer those camera views of the plane take off & landing, you got a 'drivers eye' view and one looking straight down to the ground

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 26 Nov 2012, 10:56
by clarkeysntfc
I oppose this for the reasons people have stated above. It's vital that people are able to get off the aircraft unimpeded, and wires/headsets/ipods will not help with this.

However, what I would like to see is the IFE switched on sooner, and off later.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 27 Nov 2012, 21:11
by DocRo
I don't think there is a major safety issue. The IFE being on may actually be beneficial from the point of view of calming nervous passengers etc.
I do agree that VS could at least get it on earlier and switch it off much later. Last time it seemed to go off somewhere near Iceland and I still had an episode of Flight of the Conchords to watch. Boo

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 27 Nov 2012, 22:48
by tontybear
DocRo wrote:
I do agree that VS could at least get it on earlier and switch it off much later.



y) y) y)

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 29 Nov 2012, 07:28
by lobbers

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 29 Nov 2012, 09:50
by hat
you would think there would be a way to have the main system turned on but the PAX screens turned off so that it can be ready to go immediately after initial climb out

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 29 Nov 2012, 09:54
by PaulS
A lot of this is scaremongering. I have my own headphones around my neck and my iPad on my lap as do many other passengers already. In UC I can guarantee most people's shoes are under the foot stool, so there are already many loose items in the cabin.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 29 Nov 2012, 10:25
by slinky09
PaulS wrote:A lot of this is scaremongering. I have my own headphones around my neck and my iPad on my lap as do many other passengers already. In UC I can guarantee most people's shoes are under the foot stool, so there are already many loose items in the cabin.


Absolutely - the whole scenario is riddled with inconsistencies, for example reading a Kindle is supposedly more dangerous that reading a hard back book ... ii) .

It doesn't bother me what rules VS wants on its aircraft, that's its right, but continued bleating that plainly not dangerous things like being able to see the flight map are dangerous is beyond me.

Re: IFE from gate to landing

PostPosted: 29 Nov 2012, 10:47
by clarkeysntfc
Just like there is a supposed safety issue around the ridiculous 6kg hang luggage limit.