Babies are about to get some stiff competition for worst thing to be seated next to on a long flight. Virgin Atlantic announced yesterday that passengers flying from London to NYC and vice versa aboard their Airbus A330-300 can now make cell phone calls while up in the air.
It’s official; there is NOWHERE one can escape technology, nowhere one can, for even a few brief hours, exist in untethered and unconnected bliss.
I suppose this was bound to happen eventually. First, WiFi became a profit center for airlines…and then an expectation from passenges, similar to what happened earlier for hotels. Then WiFi became a selling point for airlines, so now on many airlines, a flight to Eau Claire or Beaumont or East Nowhere will have an accompaniment of the clacking of laptop keyboards. It will only get worse, as WiFi moves from being a convenience/luxury to being a necessity of human existence.
Now cell phones are beginning to inevitably and inexorably become part of the fabric of the flying experience. Sure, there are significant limitations, and the per-minute cost is ridiculous ($1.20), but this is how the process begins; peace and serenity will gradually be whittled down to an unrecognizable nub. First a ltiny crack in the door…and before you know it, the Type A salesperson seated next to you in Cattle Car Coach will be conducting business at full volume while you learn more about their business than you could ever have wanted.
How about you just shoot me now??
