“Can you hear me? I’m on a plane! A plane!!!”
It’s official: Ryanair is allowing inflight use of mobile phones, with service provided via OnAir. The airline takes a cut of the roaming charge. For the notoriously no-frills airline, does this count as a frill?

Be productive, or be a tourist, in airports
Passing several hours at the airport? Not entering a lounge? Here’s a short guide to time-killing diversions at the busiest airports in the world. (If this had been in European media, I’d wager they’d be listing the Beate Uhse shop at Frankfurt Airport, and providing a list of smoking areas.) What I’d like to see more of at airports: Napping stations like they have in Vancouver.

Private travel gets faster
Lockheed Martin is developing a supersonic private jet that should be able to cross the United States in two hours, without the loud sonic booms that gave the Concorde a bad name. Though the QSST (quiet supersonic transport) will be fast, sales will probably lag microjets, which are rapidly gaining popularity (despite some models lacking a bathroom).

What happens onboard Maxjet stays onboard Maxjet
All-business-class discounter Maxjet is starting a new route: Las Vegas to London-Stansted. But will they offer inflight gambling, as Ryanair has proposed? Who will claim The Loosest Slots in the Sky??

Door Wars: The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey heeds the call
Welcome to the revolution, Joe. Like many travelers, Joe often can’t get enough sleep in hotels. Noise, especially hallway noise, is the enemy. I sympathize. But I’m glad to see that AmericInn is promoting quieter rooms. I’ve never stayed in one of their hotels, but this certainly sounds appealing.

The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey says he’s giving up on elite status, and calls those of us who try to keep status “looney tunes.” He doesn’t see the value of his Continental gold elite status anymore, and he offers a single attempt at booking a 7-day advance purchase transcontinental flight as an example.

Baby, meet bathwater.

Maybe Joe should ditch elite status — on Continental.

While he is right that elite status on the major airlines is not the same today as it was even five years ago, it’s still a heck of a lot better than being a general member. My Star Alliance Gold status still gets me access to nice lounges around the globe, ability to reserve the better economy seats (without a fee a la Northwest), higher baggage allowances, faster check-in, and shorter waits at security lines. (Not to mention the bonus miles, which he says he can’t use.)

Joe mentions the difficulty of redeeming his miles for awards. This is another case where the specific airline may be the issue, not elite programs in general. Continental is notorious for limiting its inventory of saver awards, and its OnePass program has the nickname “Nonepass.”

Perhaps Joe should request a status match on a different airline and see how it works. Continental controls most of Newark, so other options might involve connections along the way, or a trip to LaGuardia, but if Continental isn’t giving him what he wants, why stick with them?

Getting a status match involves writing to an airline, with proof of your existing status on one of their competitors, and telling them you’d like to switch over to them. Each airline will generally only allow one status match per lifetime, so choose wisely.

An excellent Flyertalk thread on the subject, updated periodically with guidance on how to obtain that status match, is located here.