Family-unfriendly skies

By: Steve Huston

Flying the “friendly skies” may now be more detrimental than friendly for your family. As airlines move to provide unrestricted internet service to passengers, imagine the scenarios as travelers young and old sitting elbow to elbow are exposed to unwanted pornographic images and vulgar content, held captive as their seatmate turns a flight into a trip through the red light district of the Internet.

American Airlines is the latest airline to offer a trial program offering internet service on a number of flights.

While the airline seems to minimize the concern, stating in the news report listed below: “The ‘vast majority’ of travelers use good judgment in what they look at, said Tim Smith, a spokesman for Fort Worth, Texas-based American. ‘Customers viewing inappropriate material on board a flight is not a new scenario for our crews, who have always managed this issue with great success.’”

However, the flight attendants themselves aren’t so cavalier. “We’ve heard a lot of complaints from flight attendants and passengers” about travelers pulling up objectionable Web pages, said Roscow [union spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants].

The article below also states: “American’s attendants don’t want to become “moral policemen,” said Frank Bastien, a spokesman at the union’s headquarters. Attendants also don’t want to be exposed to laptop images of violence or pornography, he said.

“It’s a real concern to our members,” Bastien said. American “put on filters that will prevent people from making Wi-Fi phone calls, and they don’t seem to have any qualms about doing that. Where’s the protection for other things out there?”

For the complete article “American Air Attendants Urge Filters to Bar Web Porn” see: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=AMR%3AUS&sid=aeAkdfULJJ1s

American Airlines will review the program offering in-flight internet service after a three- to six-month trial period. Please take this opportunity to register your concern with American Airlines, letting them know that their decision whether or not to protect you and your family from forced exposure to pornography will impact your decision in choosing an airline carrier for your next flight.

Contact American Airlines:

AMR Corporation – American Airlines
Gerard Arpey – Chairman President, and CEO
4333 Amon Carter Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Phone: 817-963-1234
Fax: 817-967-4162
Email: http://www.aa.com/aa/contactAA/viecwEmailFormAccess.do?eventName=customerRelations

American Decency Association
Bill Johnson, President
P.O. Box 202
Fremont, MI 49412
ph: 231-924-4050
www.americandecency.org

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