Crashing a flight’s in-flight entertainment system, on purpose

by Jerry Guo on

For all you armchair terrorists, here’s a handy do-it-yourself guide to crashing the back-of-seat entertainment system. The upside is that this system is not in any way connected to flight navigational controls. The probable downside is that 400 passengers will be quite angry with you.

But mainly, this just shows you software, even for the aviation industry, is far from being fail-safe or idiot-proof. Anyways, here’s the cheat-sheet.

1. Open up the Tetris knockoff game.
2. Highlight the preferences option where you can select how many blocks to see ahead.
3. Change this number to five using your phone numpad.
4. Proceed to hit + on the screen, increasing this one by one to 127.
5. This is a crucial number (the max value that can be stored using 1 byte of memory). So savor this moment.
6. Hit + again.
7. Angry passengers.

[Via CSO Security and Risk]

Another Low-Cost Carrier Fails

by Josh Lew on

Low-cost-carrier LTE ceased to operate today because of its financial predicament. The Spanish carrier stopped booking flights on Thursday, but some would-be holidaymakers were left with luggage in hand, waiting to get from rainy England to the sunny Canaries. LTE specialized in such routes and worked closely with several English tour operators.

LTE was not a newcomer to the LCC game. It has been operating for 20 years and, though its executives claim that they are trying to find a solution to their financial woes, the current state of the industry isn’t going to lend itself to any quick recoveries. Thomas Cooke Airlines, a charter service based in Manchester, is among the players stepping in to service LTE’s passengers and the tour operators that relied on the now defunct airline in the past. With European LCCs coming and going (mostly going, these days), one can almost hear Elton John crooning “The Circle of Life.” when all is said and done, the biggest beast, Ryanair and EasyJet, might be the only survivors.

How’s that oil hedge working out?

by Grant Martin on

With airlines in their worst state since 9/11 and bankruptices posting left and right, one lone airline, Southwest, has prevailed in staying profitable for the last few years.

How have they done this? Sure, they’ve got a pretty interesting business model, friendly customer service and a comprehensive network across America, but is that what’s really keeping them on top?

Partially. It’s more got to do with the oil hedge that the airline locked in well before it spiked up to $140 a barrel. Purchasing their fuel at rock bottom prices while the competition had to pay through the nose helped give Southwest the competitive edge. They could set their fares at lower prices (thus forcing the competition to match), not instill any crazy baggage or superfluous fees and still make a profit while the others were getting crushed.

Now that oil has come down from the stratosphere though, the oil hedge can actually work against them — instead of paying the now $70/barrel of light sweet crude, they’re still pinned to their commitment. And this last quarter, Southwest finally broke and actually posted a loss. Yesterday’s Marketplace has an interesting piece to this effect.

So does this mean that the glory days of Southwest are now over? I doubt it. The airline had several consecutive quarters where they could stockpile cash above the competition, build their aviary and prepare themselves for the future. And lets face it — they’ve got a business plan that’s built around paying for jet fuel at that hedged price, so all they have to do is keep cooking.

Once oil rebounds and demand increases again, Southwest will be right back up on top.

Which airlines let you watch porn?

by Mike Barish on

Last month, fellow Gadling blogger Grant Martin wrote about airlines filtering in-flight wireless content. Now MSNBC has an article on exactly which airlines are filtering adult content. So, who is letting you join the mile high club alone?

Well, if you are flying on American or Delta, be prepared to pack your own copy of Juggs, because they have asked their wireless provider, AirCell, to filter adult content. Coincidentally, these are two of my least favorite airlines to fly. Southwest is currently testing the use of in-flight wi-fi and their partner, Row 44, will also be filtering content. You’re now free to move about the country. But not your own genitals.

Air Canada will begin offering wireless next spring and their spokesman said that it is too early to comment on filtering. Their fellow hosers at Alaska Airlines have no immediate plans to filter content but will include “a few key bullets in the terms of service area” that will outline what they mean by “appropriate use.” That sounds hot.

Meanwhile, those rebels over at Virgin America have no plans to filter their wireless access. And they also do not filter their seatback touch-screen entertainment. It’s basically a flying peepshow. Kudos to you, Sir Richard Branson. I’d give you a high five, but I think I know where your hand has been.

So there you have it. Armed with this knowledge, your laptop and a 3 oz. container of hand lotion, you are now prepared to indulge in whatever internet habits you deem appropriate while crammed inside a flying tube. Remember: The only safe travel is self travel.

Favorites from Gadling’s birthday giveaway

by Grant Martin on

As I’m sure you’re well aware at this point, we’ve been hosting a birthday giveaway for a free pair of tickets to Amsterdam. Nice tickets. And we’ve been asking commenters to tell us “what they would do” in Amsterdam as their form of entry.

Obviously we’ll be picking the winner out of a random number generator and can’t give any special preference to friends or witty comments. But sorting through some of the comments today in preparation for contest closure, I did find a few that gave me a tickle.

Excerpts:

” If I won these tickets I’ll spend all my time in the red-light district staying at a dingy hostle. I’ll stroll the streets, collar turned up against the cold, looking at the women of ill-repute and wondering what it is in me that would never let me even consider paying for sex? Is there some gene that didn’t get turned on? Is there some gene that did? I’m sure to be attracted to the red-light women, assuming I’m walking down a “good” street, but this won’t play into my decision to walk on by; it’s as if I was born with a sexual desire firewall in place that even I can’t hack. I guess this is a good thing though. Besides, this’ll only give me more time and money to spend in the coffee houses enjoying the different varieties of coffee. I’ll pass the chilly afternoons in a gray haze considering history and philosophy, as well as numerous deep questions: does God exist? Do we really have freewill? Who invented liquid soap and why? I’ll also focus on the 4 spectacular years of Gadlingosity that have led me to this place in time – tears will fill my eyes – and for one brief moment all will be right with the world. “
“Gadling I sent this email and never recieved confirmation. Please look for it thanks. Flying Gadling is always a happy experience, so I hope your 5th Birthday is as happy as you make all your passengers. I would love to use the tickets to take my husband to amsterdam, on our 45th wedding aniversary. This is the place of his anscestry, He always wanted to go. Life is about coming full circle, and what better of a way than to have life come full circle from California to Amsterdam than with Gadling. Thank you so much for making life worthwhile for so many. “
“If I won 2 first-class tickets on Open Skies, I would definitely ponder what “Gadling” actually means. Maybe it would be best to eat a slice of “space cake” at one of those Amsterdam bars again and plan how to best explore the new wonders of Europe. “

Gadling’s OpenSkies contest wraps up at 5PM today. If you haven’t entered yet, now’s your chance.