by Anna Post
USAToday reported today on AirTran issuing "Internetiquette" cards in the seat backs of all of its airplanes in an effort to help travelers enjoy in-flight internet access--not annoy with it. Touted as "a guide to keeping everyone in line, while they're online," it's a great call for passenger awareness. Wi-Fi on airlines is neither rude nor polite on its own--it's how we choose to use it that makes a difference, and AirTran is right to make this effort. I reported on this a little while back, so I'll just reiterate the top tips:
1. Be aware of what's on your screen. Is it appropriate content for others to see in public? (Think R rated movies or confidential business information.) Use a privacy filter to avoid problems.
2. Always keep volume low, and always use a headset or earbuds.
3. Your seat isn't your new office. Papers fanned out around you are messy and inhibit your seat mates from wanting to ask you to move them so they can get up; hardly fair or considerate.
As I said earlier, I think some of the basic rules of airplane internet etiquette include:
1) Remember, airplanes are public places. Don't put anything offensive or too confidential onscreen that you would not reveal in a library or computer lab. I would try to keep the content of what you view a "PG-13" rating or lower while on a airplane. If there is a high percentage of young children close to you on the plane, I would go down to "PG" or "G" rated content.
2) Keep all sound and music at low volume. Additionally, I would think that using headphones, earphones, or a very low volume on your speakers would be a good idea for airplane internet.
3) Share bandwidth. Most airplane connections are limited in bandwidth and share it between seats. I would limit use of high bandwith usage sites like YouTube, games, etc.
Posted by: Stephen | July 15, 2009 at 06:58 AM