Our flight home on a new Frontier Airbus exposed us to a new … thing on airlines.<\/p>\n
Every seat on the plane was equipped with a small TV and a credit card reader. For $5 (per segment), you could watch any number of live TV channels via DirecTV. And there were, in fact, some decent channels listed.<\/p>\n
Headphones were provided free at the entrance to the flight, and folks were encouraged to bring them with them on subsequent flights. (Some airlines, I know, have started charging for headphones, with a similar exhortation.)<\/p>\n
If you didn’t buy any TV, your screen cycled between a nice map of the flight path (similar to what United has been doing for some time), and various commercials. Some were for the TV offer, some where for products (Pepsi, vacations). They were all still commercials, no video.<\/p>\n
I was not nearly as offended at yet another advertising intrusion both because the images were relatively benign, and there was that useful map (which Katherine enjoyed watching). Unlike some other TV monitors, there did not seem to be an obvious way to shut it off (I didn’t try ratcheting the picture brightness down all the way.) Oddly, Frontier didn’t make use of it for the safety drill.<\/p>\n
I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. A mixed thing, perhaps. The $5 price point felt a bit high, but I always resent paying for “free” TV (e.g., PPV of popular series in hotel rooms) — except, of course, for DVDs of TV series I want to collect. But that’s different, right?<\/p>\n
Anyway, something new to natter about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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But, hey, I'm not sure that's worse than his nattering to his travel partner all flight, or using the phones that used to grace the backs of seats before in-flight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133568,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/05\/29\/airlines-and-crisis-control.html","url_meta":{"origin":4800,"position":1},"title":"Airlines and Crisis Control","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 29-May-17 11:06am","format":false,"excerpt":"From personal experience and anecdote (so take it for what it's worth), airlines are one of the consumer service companies most prone to service problems -- delays, changes, inadequate resources -- and, most ironically, the poorest crisis control when things really hit the fans.The causes of problems for airlines are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32612,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/02\/23\/lean-back-and-relax.html","url_meta":{"origin":4800,"position":2},"title":"Lean back and relax","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 23-Feb-13 11:19pm","format":false,"excerpt":"... and try not to think of the person behind you on the airplane.Here are my thoughts on reclining seats on a flight:1. If you are sleeping? No problem. The incline is slight but significant to helping someone snooze. If and while you are sleeping, I may not appreciate the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39253,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/10\/20\/southwest-airlines-customer-service-fail.html","url_meta":{"origin":4800,"position":3},"title":"Southwest Airlines customer service fail","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 20-Oct-13 3:18pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Southwest is known for being customer service oriented and eager to please. \u00a0Which makes today's tale of flight woe particularly irksome. \u00a0I mean, if this happened on United, I'd (unhappily) expect it ...1. Margie is a Southwest frequent flyer. In fact, she's 4 points from making \"A-list\", the automatic \"you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45458,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/23\/the-horror-of-solving-the-reclining-seat-problem.html","url_meta":{"origin":4800,"position":4},"title":"The Horror of Solving the Reclining Seat Problem","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 23-Sep-14 3:35pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Two thoughts on the article. 1. The very last thing I want to do on a crowded airplane is negotiate with the strangers before and behind over who can recline into whom. 2. Alternately, I can see the airlines decide this would be a great source of revenue, to let\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15685,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2009\/09\/02\/southwest-airlines-is-evil.html","url_meta":{"origin":4800,"position":5},"title":"Southwest Airlines is Evil","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 2-Sep-09 1:05pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Okay, that's too harsh. But it's kind of sad to see them moving from an egalitarian \"all passengers are equal -- check in early, get on early\" philosophy to ever-creeping fee transactions that, essentially, let people pay to be queue-jumpers. DALLAS, Sept. 2 \/PRNewswire-FirstCall\/ -- Don't race. 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