The future of... airplane service

Summary: Virgin America is trying to take airplane service to new heights by creating on-board features that cater to the techie in all of us. Here's a look.

Virgin America is trying to take airplane service to new heights by creating on-board features that cater to the techie in all of us, whether it's texting a follow passenger from your seatback, choosing food through an online ordering system, or connecting to a Wi-Fi hot spot 35,000 feet in the air. ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das reveals the innovations that could improve your next flight.

Topics: Mobility, CXO, Networking, Wi-Fi

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3 comments
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  • What I really want

    Selecting my own meal or posting Facebook at
    30,000 feet would be nice, but what I really
    want is simpler. I want:

    1. To not be treated like a criminal by
    comically inept TSA "officers".

    2. To not be squeezed into ever shrinking
    seats.

    3. To not be charged separately for every,
    tiny, item.

    Thanks,
    Paul Young

    Please visit my technology blog at:
    www.paulmyoung.net
    SFDC_Guy
  • Oh, yippee.

    I just experienced a 9-hour flight on a plane that had
    touchscreens on the back of the seats. Do you know how
    annoying it is to have someone pounding on a crappy-quality
    touchscreen on the back of your seat while playing Bejeweled
    for hours on end? Answer: Really, REALLY annoying!!!

    The 'Andy Rooney' in me would like to go back to a time when
    planes were sanctuaries from the ubiquitous world of tech. But
    I'm sure social-media addicts are very relieved to hear that
    they will be able to get their fixes at 32,000 ft.
    Userama
  • An ideal environment for an iPad.

    I was just telling a friend that unless it was a trans-oceanic
    flight, I'd rather fly Coach on Virgin America than First on
    United or Delta. The inflight wifi had my iPhone connected to
    the internet and pulling down [i]my[/i] content beyond the
    built-in options of the plane itself as soon we hit 10,000
    feet. An iPad will offer even more options.
    matthew_maurice