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Calling in the Air
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We've posted a number of times about the upcoming possibility of being able to use your cell phone while flying.
It looks like the future is almost here.
Budget airline Ryanair has recently announced they will provide their passengers access to this service in 2008.
But won't the calls disrupt the plane's navigational equipment and cause it to crash, you ask?
Apparently not: New technology minimizes "the strength of signals from passengers' phones and prevents them from seeking out ground networks."
While this is a great technological advancement, it will make flying infinitely more horrible in my opinion. A plane-full of yappy passengers droning on about their personal lives for five hours will leave me yearning for some navigational equipment disruption and a fiery crash to earth.
Time to get some headphones, I guess.
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
joan Sep 26th 2006 4:39PM
oblivously you've never been on a delayed
flight , sitting on the runway for hours and
then circling for eternity......all the while unable to contact anyone to alert them to the delay when picking you up, or the meetings you missed!!
Neil Sep 18th 2006 2:49PM
If the flight is delayed, everyone should get one free phone call, just like in jail!
Nick Persichet Sep 19th 2006 3:38AM
I just need to know if I can bring my cell phone on board a plane in my carry on luggage that I will position in the over head compartment
thank you
Jocelyn Sep 18th 2006 8:10PM
I tend to agree with you, Neil. I can't imagine how many people will abuse the privileges. Likely, most won't (let's hope).
Mary Jo Sep 18th 2006 11:40PM
I don't want to sit in a restaurant next to someone who spends the entire time on the phone. An airplane situation would make me very cranky.
And the problem people are not just those making a quick call to whomever is picking them up. (Those people should be checking on the status of arrival anyway.)
It's going to be one non-stop gab fest!
Warren Swabb Sep 23rd 2006 6:31AM
I have no problem with people using their cell phones while flying. But, just try getting a connection from 35000 feet! The airlines should charge you extra to use the aircrafts' cellular transmitter. That will keep a lot of cell phones down in the cargo bay!!!
Walter Kopilow Sep 23rd 2006 6:35AM
I fly frequently overseas. It is bad enough having to put up with screaming babies for over 11 hours; now the thought of having to listen to a bunch of clowns droning on about nothing is something that I am loath to listen to!
Charles E. King Sep 23rd 2006 7:05AM
Most importantly, is the safety and security o the passengers. If as you said, there is no navigational issues when using the celkl phones, OK.
There is another factor here however, and that is the loud talk of people using these phones. They do not seem to know how to talk low. You hear all about their lives and what they hqave to do, and worst still, the people in charge presently on busses etc, do not seem to care about how loud the passengers talk. If passengers will be told to talk only at a level where noone else can hear, tahts OK. But really, it gets a bit much.
brooks Sep 23rd 2006 7:13AM
We can't bring a cellphone with us for international flights so this won't affect us.
alacran Sep 23rd 2006 7:33AM
Horrible. All this talk about the "necessity" of cellphone use and how it's a great thing to be able to alert friends and family if your flight is delayed, or to get a little business done in the air. Yeah, like that's what the majority would be doing. People call for calling's sake. They're bored, antsy, whatever and they call and yak within earshot of everyone else. The idea horrific. People don't use all those minutes because they NEED to; a guy who spends 1000 minutes a month on the cellphone wasn't spending 1000 minutes on payphones back before cellular phones. Ease of use drives people to use it way beyond needs. I have no problem with that until I want to rest or I want peace and quiet and someone justifies ruining my flight because they "need" to talk on the phone. Even if it's not pleasure calling it's going to make flights wholly more unpleasant; businesspeople don't exactly do phone business in low, discrete voices, they do it in loud, confident voices for all to hear. But what can we do- some people just insist on making the world worse, not better.
Dick McLane Sep 23rd 2006 7:39AM
If votes count, put me down for being vehemently opposed to allowing passengers to make any more than very brief calls to persons regarding the status of their flight.
Barbara Sep 23rd 2006 7:45AM
There are "quiet cars" on Amtrak - no cells phones, and only short whispered conversations. Soon there may be "quiet" sections on planes.
Silver Sep 23rd 2006 7:46AM
You may bring your cell phone in your carry on luggage or your purse not a problem, I have problems with people who will be chatting while flying. If its for emergency purposes to let the people awaiting for your flight thats fine.
VF Sep 23rd 2006 7:48AM
I agree with Mary Jo- anyone making a pickup at the airport should be checking flight status. It's what we did before the advent of cell phones and still works pretty well. Nobody needs to be talking on a phone during the flight- for me, it's down time and I am a happy camper to just sit back and relax. I would have no objection to allow text messaging. Let those who wish to talk pay for it!
Irene F. Mazur Sep 23rd 2006 4:16PM
I'm glad I don't fly very often, but I can sympathize with anyone who is made a captive audience to someone else's volume for long periods of time. I was once on a commercial flight from Copenhagen, Denmark to Montreal, that included a group of approximately 30 passengers who disrupted the entire flight by singing religious songs all the way. Despite complaints from the other passengers, the flight attendants did nothing about it, so no one else on the plane could concentrate on a book, watch the in-flight movie, take a nap or enjoy their own idea of a pleasant flight. Maybe the airlines could create a special section for cell phone users like they used to do for smokers. Maybe then the cell phone jockeys would realize what it feels like to be surrounded by loud inconsiderate people for long periods of time.
Don Sep 23rd 2006 7:59AM
Allowing cell phone calls in flight will take a bad flying experience into the horrible zone. The FAA better plan on placing at least 2 air marshals on each flight simply to handle all the fights that will break out. Now in addition to listening to screaming children, snoring old men and women and having the child behind you continuously kicking your seat, we get to hear loud conversations from people we don't know and really don't care to know.
Fran Arnold, RN Sep 23rd 2006 8:01AM
"But won't the calls disrupt the plane's navigational equipment and cause it to crash, you ask?"
Oh, for crying out loud! I said this once before,..they think we are stupid, don't they? Didn't 9/11 kinda blow that theory out of the water? This is just another brilliant business move geared to squeeze even more $ out of us. If it were even remotely true, why didn't the "early" Cell Phones have "Airplane Mode" or for that matter, why would they let us carry them onboard anyway. Please, give me a break! Having said that, I wish for everyone reading this the best day they can have today...
Later
Pam Sep 23rd 2006 8:00AM
If you have no desire to encounter any aspect of human behavior, including conversation, then charter your own personal flight. Some people like to talk. Moderate volume can be tolerated. Restaurants aren't totally silent, can you stand to be there? You cac always choose to eat at home -alone. Live and let live.!
Richard Martin Sep 23rd 2006 11:33PM
There is NO ONE so important that they need to be on a cell phone for a lenghty period of time. If that is the case, let them use the air phones on most flights have at an unreal cost. That always makes the calls short.
ab Sep 23rd 2006 8:26AM
If using your cell phone on a plane was not available until now, then this must mean that calls from the planes on 09/11/01 were fake? If the technology wasn't ready then how do they explain the calls? That is quite interesting, any ideas?