Internet access on commercial aircraft might soon be as widespread in the skies as astoundingly small bags of peanuts, tasteless meals, orange-faced stewardesses and incessantly wailing children.
American Airlines facing complaints of passengers viewing in-flight porn. Image: Cubbie_n_Vegas/Flickr.
However, cabin crew at American Airlines are calling for the introduction of content control to prevent passengers from trawling through inappropriate Web sites while in close proximity to those who may deem it offensive, reports Bloomberg.
The potential usage problem has arisen for American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, after it recently unveiled a trial scheme to provide in-flight Internet services on a selection of its domestic coast-to-coast services in the United States.
Since the service began, complaints connected to the in-flight consumption of inappropriate material (violent and/or pornographic) have reportedly been gathering from both flight crew and passengers alike.
David Roscow, a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said the union has received “a lot of complaints from flight attendants and passengers” and the issue has now been brought to the attention of Texas-based American Airlines, although without a formal request for online filters at this time.
Should it choose to react to the concerns of its staff and customers by applying a filtering system, American could well find itself mired in censorship accusations, not least because using the carrier’s in-flight online access costs $12.95 USD per passenger.
According to Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, the “vast majority” of its passengers use good judgement when it comes to what they access while online in the confines of an aircraft cabin.
“Customers viewing inappropriate material on board a flight is not a new scenario for our crews, who have always managed this issue with great success,” he added, likely pointing to passengers watching personal DVDs that provide easy access to inappropriate material without requiring an online connection.
Smith went on to say that American will “obviously access this concern as well, including the number of actual incidents reported and any other related issues,” when the in-flight service’s usage and feedback are reviewed.
American’s trial availability of in-flight Internet began on August 20 and is due to run for between three and six months.
Other carriers either operating an in-flight service or planning to do so in the near future include JetBlue Airways, which currently offers limited access on a single aircraft, Southwest Airlines, which aims to have a service in place before the close of 2008, and Delta Air Lines, which intends to be up and running some time in 2009.
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