Cellphone ban in air faces review
FCC to study ‘outdated and restrictive rules’
NEW YORK — Airline passengers have already been stripped of their legroom, hot meals and personal space. Now, they might also lose their silence.
The Federal Communications Commission is considering lifting its longtime prohibition on making cellphone calls on airplanes, saying it is time “to review our outdated and restrictive rules.”
But for many passengers, that would mean the elimination of one of the last sanctuaries from a hyperconnected world. Everybody wants the ability to stay connected while travelling, but nobody wants to be trapped next to some guy yapping away during the entire trip from New York to Las Vegas.
“The only way I’d be in favour of this is if the FCC mandated that all those who want to use their cellphones must sit next to families with screaming children,” frequent flyer Joe Winogradoff said.
Amtrak and many local commuter railways have created quiet cars for those who don’t want to be trapped next to a loud talker. It’s not hard to envision airlines offering “quiet rows,” although there will probably be an extra fee to sit there.
“The downside is with the inconsiderate flyer who is oblivious to how loud he is talking.”
CRAIG ROBINS, FREQUENT FLYER
Hopefully, they’ll be more effective than the old smoking and nonsmoking sections.
One flight attendant union has already come out against any change, saying a plane full of chattering passengers could lead to arguments and undermine safety.
Passenger Kai Xu had another concern: What’s going to happen to the already limited bathrooms on the plane? “Are they going to become the telephone booths for those who want to talk on the phone in pri- vate?” he said.
Not everybody hates the idea. Craig Robins, a lawyer who flies close to 160,000 kilometres a year, said a relaxation of the ban would be “a mixed blessing.”
“Having the ability to communicate with my office, my family and my friends, especially for making necessary plans for airport pickups and meetings on the day of arrival, is invaluable,” he said. “Of course, the downside is with the inconsiderate flyer who is oblivious to how loud he or she is talking. That is what will drive us crazy.”
Most Middle Eastern airlines and a few in Asia and Europe already allow voice calls on planes. Passengers’ cellphone signals are either relayed via a satellite or through a special “picocell” to the ground. Voice calls technically can be made on some U.S. planes today via satellite, but airlines block providers such as Skype, in part because they fear it will eat up the limited bandwidth.
American and United Airlines said they would wait for an FCC decision and then study the issue. Delta Air Lines said passenger feedback for years has shown “overwhelming” support for a ban.