Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!telecom-request From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Is the GTE Airfone Public? Message-ID: Date: 15 May 91 16:52:59 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: I.E.C.C. Lines: 35 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 364, Message 1 of 11 In article is written: > I had always assumed that the reason for their insistence on the > actual slab of plastic was to prevent people from, er, accidentally > tucking the phone into their briefcases. The seat phones found in every row of air shuttle planes have a cord but still require you to physically swipe your card through a slot on the side of the phone, even if it's an AT&T card. As has been suggested elsewhere, the number of people who would be on a plane, want to make a phone call, but not have a credit card is vanishingly small. Part of the deal with the air phone seems to be that it requires no effort at all on the part of the plane crew. Any version that accepted cash or even had the flight attendants selling phone cards would be too much work. For serious airphoners (airphoneys?) GTE has a special airphone card which requires a hefty up-front fee of about $100, but gives the user a much lower per-minute rate when it is used. Also, I am pleased to report that their customer service actually seems to work. I made an airphone call, got a connection so bad I couldn't hear anything, called the airphone operator ("What?" "I said I got a bad connection." "You'll have to speak up, we have a terrible connection.") called again later, and the indeed the bad call didn't appear on my phone bill. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl PS: Whoever suggested that a public phone has to accept cash isn't thinking clearly. Coinless pay phones have been around for years.