Since the prospect of making cell phone calls is now possible, the initial reaction from the flying public has been dramatically anti-cell-phone-use. Comments filed with the Department of Transportation from consumers support a firm rule of no-cell-phone-calls aboard aircraft. Some airlines have promised they will never allow cell phone calls on plane.
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Is this a knee-jerk reaction? Using cell phones would be far more expensive and controllable than cell phone use in normal life.
Should a cell phone rule be nationwide and for all flights? And, implemented by the government?
Would a quiet section work, such as in the back of the plane?
Would quiet times work for long-distance flights? Perhaps cell phones could be used for the first hour of flight and the last hour before landing? That would be easy for the airlines to implement by simply shutting down the system and then, later, turning it back on.
What about short flights like the shuttle between Washington and New York or Boston? I’m guessing that if Delta Air Lines, for example, decided to ban cell phones and American decided to allow their use on these business-dominated routes, the AA planes would be packed with business travelers maximizing their production and Delta would eventually start to allow calls on these kinds of flights.
Were you irritated by the phones that were in the seat backs about a decade ago? I don’t remember any fights breaking out. The darn things were so expensive, nobody used them. Cell phone service from planes would be expensive to use as well. Few teenagers would have the wherewithall to afford to talk to their friends for hours on end.
With WiFi being installed in planes, passengers can make phone calls using voice-over-Internet protocols any time they want to. It isn’t happening. And, I have heard no complaints registered in the media or on travel blogs.
Ringing cell phones can be turned to vibrate. That would eliminate irritation caused by ringing.
Does one size fit all for cell phone rules on aircraft?
I don’t think that simply banning cell phones on planes in every case is the right way to go. And, after working with federal regulations for years, creating another rule may not make sense.
I know that this is an emotional subject for many.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
