NOK Air gets go ahead for in-flight Wi-Fi

[Jonathan Fairfield]

NOK Air gets go ahead for in-flight Wi-Fi

pic: stock photo wiki

BANGKOK:-- Budget airline, NOK Air has been given the go ahead by Thailand’s telecom regulators to offer its passengers in-flight voice calls and broadband internet connections.

NOK Air was given the approval following a meeting with the National Broadcasting and Telecoms Commission, with the NBTC’s committee voting in favour of the airline being given a Type 1 operating licence, which would enable the use of an in-flight internet service.

NOK Air is not the only airline to receive approval to offer in-flight Wi-Fi.

Earlier in the year, THAI Airways International became the first airline in Thailand to be granted a license to provide its passengers with Wi-Fi across its fleet of aircraft.

It is also believed that a number of Thailand’s other airlines are about to apply for the Type 1 license.

In May, Thai AirAsia said that it had already been fitting its fleet of Airbus a320 planes with satellite based Wi-Fi in order to increase its appeal to a wider range of passengers, most notably the younger generations who demand constant access to sites such as Facebook, Line and Instagram.

-- 2014-06-04

[David48]

Noooooooooooooooo ... please NO.

Disconnected is A-OK for me ...

Disconnected to the world I left behind and in my cofy cabin, a suite of lovely Nok Air Hostesses swooning for me, catering for my every wish. (Miss May was particularly dishy from memory ... ... or was that Miss September?)

Not some pimple faced youngin' lineing and taking food photos and Facebooking them.

Imagine the selfies ...

Please NO ...

[terryp]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

[overherebc]

Never flown with them and now never will for all the reasons stated in the last two posts.

[Fat Haggis]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

[ginjag]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

Better still have Mr. Grumpy flights, and brain dead moron flights.

[Crossy]

I have no problem with internet access on flights, I may even use it myself, but voice calls, aarrgghh.

The last bastion of mobile-free peace, gone

Hopefully it will be sufficiently expensive to keep the majority off it.

[rkidlad]

Great! Now I have something to keep me entertained for those gruelling 1 hour flights!

[bigbamboo]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

Better still have Mr. Grumpy flights, and brain dead moron flights.

Have you ever flown QANTAS ?

[Fat Haggis]

It's no different than being in any other public place, people will talk on their phones no matter what, how many times have you been on a long haul flight and been able to hear the passenger next to you's headphones? How many passengers take out their laptops and sit there hammering away at their keypads?

Sure it might be considered anti social, but it's the public themselves paying for that privilege to fly.

I often chat to those who sit beside me out of courtesy, ignoring them, or grunting is just downright rude, if they try to strike up a conversation.

Emirates have been incorporating wifi and air to ground communications through their onboard phones for a couple of years now, it's no big deal, I actually don't see many people use the service as it's expensive, and unless this is a free one, then it will be the same.

It's like everyone criticising Ryan air, when there's plenty of other options

[Mudcrab]

I have no problem with internet access on flights, I may even use it myself, but voice calls, aarrgghh.

The last bastion of mobile-free peace, gone

Hopefully it will be sufficiently expensive to keep the majority off it.

Exactly Crossy, you can guarantee it won't be free!!!

[GentlemanJim]

Oops, reminds me of a now funny (wasn't at the time i think!) situation I caused on a flight from BKK to Dubai a few years back.

I was bored about 45 mins in and got my laptop out. I duly plugged the headphones in and started to play a mindless pinball game I had on the laptop. Volume was a little low on the headphones but turning it up to max kind of fixed the issue. About 30 mins later when the cabin crew tapped me on the shoulder to see if I wanted another drink, I took the headphones off to speak to her only to find that the sound of the pinball machine was playing loudly in the back ground. The headphones had been put in the jack, but were not all the way in if you know what I mean. It would appear I had been playing this pin ball machine complete with clanging, sirens, alarms and bells for almost 30 mins at full volume on the laptop speakers. It was one of those beam me up scotty moments where if I could have leapt out the door I would have done. Feeling remarkably stupid i looked around sheepishly to apologise but was given a stern ignoring by everyone. "Two extremely large Gin and Tonics please cabin crew, while I just pop this laptop back in it's bag"

[David48]

Maybe we could allow the talkers on the phone, but treat them like smokers and make them sit 'outside' while they talk ...

[anotheruser]

I have no problem with internet access on flights, I may even use it myself, but voice calls, aarrgghh.

The last bastion of mobile-free peace, gone

Hopefully it will be sufficiently expensive to keep the majority off it.

Looking at it that way, hopefully you are economically better off than the person sitting next to you. Avoid premium economy and any higher class than cattle and you should be fine.

[englishoak]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

Better still have Mr. Grumpy flights, and brain dead moron flights.

Not really just quiet and comfortable flights with interactive entertainment of films or music in your own seat that dosnt affect the person next to you is fine

Any airline that allows voice calls and invariably will include loud talking of selfish passengers self absorbed in that "all important" call or selfie with friends they must simply take in all manner of languages I am not interested in using.

[chachmarach]

It will be no different than when all the airlines had expensive phones in the seat backs... this service (I've used it before) is not cheap! The internet connection I used was called Go-Go Inflight and If I remember correctly it cost in the region of $20.00 for the flight (about three usable hours.)

The service couldn't be used below 10,000 feet and was not fast enough to hold a video call on Skype... VoIP was fine though. Given the background noise in the cabin, I couldn't hear anyone's phone calls. The majority of the passengers couldn't be bothered to use the service (it was on Air Canada) and instead opted for the free videos on the screens in front of them.

This will be coming whether you like it or not. The service will get faster and undoubtably cheaper. Whilst I don't relish the idea of having some 16 year old, bubble gum-pop hipster douche bag yacking into their Ipoo for an entire flight, I know there isn't a lot I can do about it as the airlines will view this service as a major revenue stream. It's coming, prepare accordingly! How can you prepare? I find that my Bose earbud headphones work wonders at cancelling out even the worst of the worst noises onboard. Pang maak maak, but in my opinion, worth every penny!

[masuk]

Never flown with them and now never will for all the reasons stated in the last two posts.

I'll stay with AirAsia thanks.

[masuk]

It will be no different than when all the airlines had expensive phones in the seat backs... this service (I've used it before) is not cheap! The internet connection I used was called Go-Go Inflight and If I remember correctly it cost in the region of $20.00 for the flight (about three usable hours.)

The service couldn't be used below 10,000 feet and was not fast enough to hold a video call on Skype... VoIP was fine though. Given the background noise in the cabin, I couldn't hear anyone's phone calls. The majority of the passengers couldn't be bothered to use the service (it was on Air Canada) and instead opted for the free videos on the screens in front of them.

This will be coming whether you like it or not. The service will get faster and undoubtably cheaper. Whilst I don't relish the idea of having some 16 year old, bubble gum-pop hipster douche bag yacking into their Ipoo for an entire flight, I know there isn't a lot I can do about it as the airlines will view this service as a major revenue stream. It's coming, prepare accordingly! How can you prepare? I find that my Bose earbud headphones work wonders at cancelling out even the worst of the worst noises onboard. Pang maak maak, but in my opinion, worth every penny!

Now I see why IATA is bringing in stricter rules for in-flight violence.

"Is there a doctor on board? We urgently need to remove a phone stuffed down someone's throat"!

"Sorry, make that two doctors!"

[SantiSuk]

Please get your Wi-fi at Don Meuang working properly first, Nok-Air. Had signal but would not load any web page in 20 minutes last time I tried in one gate peninsula (I tried up and down its 300 metre length).

Baby steps first!

[h90]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

Where I can book the seat next to Mr. Grumpy. I feel exactly like him and would pay extra to get a seat next to someone who is just normal......

[ginjag]

the only budget airline i use after forgetting all the rest and the day this starts i.m gone, I do not want to sit next to some braindead moron who cant keep their mouth shut for a full flight and the other idiots who take a selfie every 2 minutes...

smart phones = people dumb

Maybe these "brain dead morons" wouldn't want to sit beside Mr.Grumpy?

Better still have Mr. Grumpy flights, and brain dead moron flights.

Have you ever flown QANTAS ?

No but have been a passenger with them

[Familyonthemove]

I'm on the plane.... What?... I AM ON THE PLANE..... WHAT?.....

Sent from my C6902 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sandrabbit]

I'm on the plane.... What?... I AM ON THE PLANE..... WHAT?.....

Sent from my C6902 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I was going to post something similar lol, I'm fed up of people getting off the plane into the bus then someone shouting down the phone 'I just got off the plane!' etc. Similar thing on trains & buses.

[Sripah]

Passengers on long-haul flights across oceans will need a satellite if they are to stay connected and even if the connectivity option is there, not many passengers would use it.