Leader: Learn to love in-flight mobile

Mobile telephony and broadband connectivity on planes is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And, if silicon.com readers are any kind of barometer of society, most of us won't like it.

Aside from the 'yeah, yeah - I'm on the plane' conversations air travellers will have the dubious pleasure of enduring when mobiles on planes become widespread, business travellers will now face the threat of having to turn what is traditionally downtime into an extension of their working day.

No more putting your feet up and catching an abysmal family comedy as your flight crosses the Atlantic - now it's get the laptop fired up, put in a call to the office, crack on with downloading those reports, respond to emails, texts and IMs. Put the champagne and comfy socks away - you're at work now.

Most businesspeople are no strangers to working while on planes, to drafting emails or finishing up that spreadsheet whether there's connectivity or not. They're equally no strangers to throwing the whole lot over and getting some kip if they feel like it.

But soon that may not be an option. BlackBerry addicts will never switch off their devices and bosses and staff will expect to be in contact with travellers at all moments. Could in-flight telephony be the death of getting out of the office?

In short - breathe a sigh of relief. You'll learn to live with in-flight connectivity like you learned to live with owning a BlackBerry or mobile phone. Sometimes you must switch off the device, and yourself, from work. Other times, you could kiss the little blighters for putting you in touch with a contact or a colleague just at that crucial moment and saving the day - or for allowing you to step out of the office instead of sitting around and waiting for that all-important email.

Further reading…

♦ Will broadband in the sky take off?
♦ Peter Cochrane's Blog: Flight frustrations

This publication would never want to sound like a Luddite and, indeed, being able to work while in airports, cafés and parks can be quite convenient but it also blurs the line between work and home and can make one feel like you never get any downtime. Connectivity on planes simply means the one place where heretofore you were unreachable is no longer an email- and mobile-free zone.

If you are that unlucky sort who has trouble shutting down when an internet connection's available, the hefty bills for your in-flight broadband and phone calls might help. Those rates will surely have to come down before the service becomes widespread.