As part of the must pass FAA reauthorization bill:

Members of Congress are some of America’s most frequent fliers, so perhaps it is no surprise that even the regulation-wary voted this week to prohibit in-flight voice calls as part of a reauthorization package for the Federal Aviation Administration. The rules codify the will of most consumers and airlines alike.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... a29a232a55

There's a lot to like in this reauthorization bill.

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

I’d say the car, the bus, the train, and planes are no place for phone calls. I don’t like hearing people blaring out their personal issues, problems, anger or flirts in public.

Old fashioned I guess, but when I get a phone call in a public location, I hit ignore or walk off to somewhere private.


gf

This is the first thing Congress has done that I've approved of in decades

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

On an airplane you are often 10 inches from someone else's face, with no alternatives.

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

Well lets use our head:
1) If you are in a car, you are more than likely with people you know.
2) Car and Bus - You can get up and move or get off at the next stop.
3) In the office, you can tell the person to shut up.

Do either of #2 or #3 above on a plane and you will either die or you will be classified as an unruly passenger heading to a diversion airport!

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

The attitude reflected in that comment is very typical of people who think it's all about them and that they should have the right to do anything they wish, regardless of how it affects others.

DL747400 wrote:

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

The attitude reflected in that comment is very typical of people who think it's all about them and that they should have the right to do anything they wish, regardless of how it affects others.

Well said


This is a very sound policy, if people
are allowed to use voice calling in
flight it would make for a hellish
experience

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

Yep, you pretty much are

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

As someone who has reguarly commuted via bus, train and plane at various points in my life, no one, and I mean NO ONE is okay with you pulling your phone out for a call. Anyone who does this is instantly the most disliked person in the train car/cabin/bus. There are entire instagram and twitter accounts devoted to shaming people who talk on the phone on public transit. This is probably the first piece of legislation in years that +90% of all Americans would agree with.

Very short sighted imo, especially as voice calls become ever more common on foreign airlines.

Just throwing this out, I'm more okay with you using your phone on a flight than while driving your car.

It seems to me as we live in an ever more connected world that calls would become the norm.

As a pilot I get to position on overseas airlines regularly and have flown multiple carriers that offer such technologies. I have seen people use their own cell phones and never been bothered nor noted any odd looks by others. Its really a non event in an already white noise filled cabin.

Could be another competitive handicap for U.S airlines.

I guess the question is how many posters have personally experienced this technology?
I have and have not been bothered by people near me in conversation. Honestly if I did not see them holding their mobiles or with ear pieces, I would not have known they were on the phones.

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

Other interesting things from the bill

-Gives flight attendants a 10-hour rest period between flights, rather than eight hours, from the time their flight touches down until their next takeoff.
-• Bars airlines from bumping a passenger who already has been seated on the airplane.
-The bill would allow the government to shoot down a drone that “is identified as high-risk and a potential target for unlawful unmanned aircraft activity.”

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

The market did decide, hence why it passed.

smokeybandit wrote:

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

The market did decide, hence why it passed.

Correct me if I'm missing something, but the market does not pass laws...

smokeybandit wrote:

Other interesting things from the bill

-Gives flight attendants a 10-hour rest period between flights, rather than eight hours, from the time their flight touches down until their next takeoff.
-• Bars airlines from bumping a passenger who already has been seated on the airplane.
-The bill would allow the government to shoot down a drone that “is identified as high-risk and a potential target for unlawful unmanned aircraft activity.”

The wording on bumping after on board needs to be more clear. The way it's been commented on it would block them from removing them, even if they agree to payment to do it. Need to be specific to that. issue as well.

Redd wrote:

smokeybandit wrote:

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

The market did decide, hence why it passed.

Correct me if I'm missing something, but the market does not pass laws...

No. But the "market" bitches enough to congress & congress sometime does something.

Airlines said they didn't want it. Passengers said they didn't want it.

Makes lobbying easy at that point

Ban calls in flight or on a plane?
Calls "honey, we just landed, see you in 15 minutes" are fairly routine and cause little irritation. I am guilty of making some "I am on the train, be there in 20 min. Where do we meet?" calls. No dirty looks.
But once upon a time I was sitting next to a salesman who had phone out at all times. I was ready to start taking notes (to send to his competitor after the flight)

"We just landed" phone calls don't happen in the air.

Thankfully alternate means of communication exist. Instead of making a voice call, one can text. Happens all the time, and fits well for the brief "we just landed" type message.

I suppose that the FAA will have to decide whether FaceTime and the like is a "voice call".

DL747400 wrote:

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

The attitude reflected in that comment is very typical of people who think it's all about them and that they should have the right to do anything they wish, regardless of how it affects others.

Brilliantly said DL. We seem to live in an era of selfishness and vulgarity and the typical “look at me, I’m on my phone talking [email protected]” eejits are the culprits!

Wait a minute...how is John McClane going to get screwed because his wife calls while he is trying to be stealthy? The movie plots that are ruined from this move...

I personally agree with this move - you are trapped when you board and have no recourse. On a bus, in the office, etc. you have options. On a plane - no options.

Unfortunately, people thinking about how their actions affect others seems to be largely absent in society today. It's sad that we even passed a law for this. It is rude to talk on your phone in close proximity to other people. A quick call is no big deal but yapping for more than a couple of minutes is selfish and inconsiderate to others. Unless it is an emergency, I always step away or downright ignore the call if I am in a crowded place where talking on the phone would disturb and annoy people. If people were more considerate of others this law would never have been passed in the first place.

smokeybandit wrote:

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

The market did decide, hence why it passed.

The “market” can’t fine you or put you in jail. Any law is ultimately enforced by violence made legal by the state. The market actor can thrive or go bust.

GF

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law. Simply should let the market decide. Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not. Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

Disagree 150%.

Sadly, we live in a world where an increasing number of people are focused on their own wants and needs and show no awareness or concern for how their behavior is impacting anyone else. People from all socio-economic backgrounds people have demonstrated time and time again that they increasingly refuse to police themselves. When society cannot police itself (or adopts a "me too" self-centered attitude and refuses to do so), it is dumber to NOT make a law.

Why put hundreds of thousands of airline crew members in the position of having to become "cell phone police" ? Air travel is already a stressful experience for the vast majority of travelers. Why introduce yet another stress element into the already stressful cabin environment, when you are forced to sit for extended periods of time in close proximity to other passengers? Why allow behavior to take place in the cabin which will only serve as a catalyst for more conflict between passengers? Would you care to place a wager on how many additional inflight diversions are going to occur each year due to fights erupting over inflight cell phone usage?

A single person who doesn't know how to conduct themselves when they are in public should not be allowed to make the flying experience miserable for the dozens of people seated around them.

LAXintl wrote:

Very short sighted imo, especially as voice calls become ever more common on foreign airlines.

Then that is a very good reason to avoid those foreign carriers who allow voice calls. It would be very helpful if someone could post a list of said carriers for everyone's awareness.

UPlog wrote:

It seems to me as we live in an ever more connected world that calls would become the norm.

As a pilot I get to position on overseas airlines regularly and have flown multiple carriers that offer such technologies. I have seen people use their own cell phones and never been bothered nor noted any odd looks by others. Its really a non event in an already white noise filled cabin.

Umm, we are talking about AMERICANS traveling on U.S carriers here................ Nuff said.

"Congress could consider revising its ban in the future to permit calls made with muffling devices or from private booths installed on board”

I wonder how much airlines would charge for the use of phone booths since they would have to be installed where you now have seats. Unless they remove one more toilet or make them even smaller.

People remain on their phones talking during taxi and during safety demo all the time. Not only effecting their own safety, but those around them as they distract and make it harder to hear safety demo. This law will make it easier to enforce. "FAA has made it illegal to have voice calls in a moving aircraft, please comply".

Can you imagine a 6.5 westbound transcon sitting next to a super loud person making personal calls all flight six inches from your ear. Plane rage would reach a whole new level if this were allowed.

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

Linking calls on planes to cars or a workplace isn't a relevant comparison. The plane is an environment that has characteristics unlike the others. Typical trying to play down the subject by drawing in unrelated topics.

janders wrote:

Dumb to make a law.

Simply should let the market decide.
Let airlines offer the feature and let market place decide based on consumer action whether its sticks or not.

Each airline can decide on its own if the feature is a benefit or hinderence to their market position.

The usual "let the market" decide argument. The market can't decide everything through business choices. As was pointed out, if the market - meaning other passengers on the plane - really demonstrate their feelings about it, most of them would end up in jail and on no-fly lists. The market has let its congressional representatives know how they feel and it's being pushed forward through legislation. That IS the market working in this case.

If someone is respectful of those around them I don’t have a problem with people using phones on aircraft.

smokeybandit wrote:

Other interesting things from the bill

-Gives flight attendants a 10-hour rest period between flights, rather than eight hours, from the time their flight touches down until their next takeoff.
-• Bars airlines from bumping a passenger who already has been seated on the airplane.
-The bill would allow the government to shoot down a drone that “is identified as high-risk and a potential target for unlawful unmanned aircraft activity.”

That second rule is a direct result of the infamous United incident isn't it ?

I don't want to sit next to your mindless cellphone call on a plane any more than when you're sitting next to me at a restaurant. I am sick of the obnoxious me-me-me world. If a call could be done on a plane where the person wouldn't be yelling over engine and cabin noise, then maybe, but be respectful of those around you FFS.

lavalampluva wrote:

If someone is respectful of those around them I don’t have a problem with people using phones on aircraft.

So when that someone is NOT respectful because they don't know how to be respectful, or because they refuse to be respectful, your comment clearly demonstrates the expectation that hundreds of thousands of crew members should be required to serve as "cell phone police." Putting airline staff in that position is UNACCEPTABLE.

Human beings do not have a God-given or Constitutionally-protected right to carry on cell phone calls anywhere, anytime, without restriction.

- Airlines don't want inflight voice calls.
- Passengers don't want inflight voice calls.
- The market has spoken.

I agree that there are many annoying habits of people all around, but I side with those who draw the line whether to make a law about it. Laws mean enforcement, records, fines, jail time, etc. All over cell phone annoyances? Sure, social pressure is fine to apply in these situations. But I don't agree with making cell phone use in the airplane illegal.

Sometimes I wish someone next to me would stop an annoying habit - we've all been there. But I don't wish them to be in jail, having a criminal record and/or paying fines over it.

Posters above have complained about the all-about-me culture, and it certainly annoys me too. But aren't you yourself falling for that all-about-me culture when you think that someone who annoys you should get prison time? And isn't that a dangerous precedent for society?

DL747400 wrote:

lavalampluva wrote:

If someone is respectful of those around them I don’t have a problem with people using phones on aircraft.

So when that someone is NOT respectful because they don't know how to be respectful, or because they refuse to be respectful, your comment clearly demonstrates the expectation that hundreds of thousands of crew members should be required to serve as "cell phone police." Putting airline staff in that position is UNACCEPTABLE.

Human beings do not have a God-given or Constitutionally-protected right to carry on cell phone calls anywhere, anytime, without restriction.

- Airlines don't want inflight voice calls.
- Passengers don't want inflight voice calls.
- The market has spoken.

I qualified my statement with the word IF. I know that at least in the US this wouldn’t work. Americans are extremely selfish when it comes to what they want to do.

I know this would never work. Just wishful thinking on my part.

DL747400 wrote:

Then that is a very good reason to avoid those foreign carriers who allow voice calls. It would be very helpful if someone could post a list of said carriers for everyone's awareness.

Well one of the biggest vendors SITA says its Mobile ONAIR product has 24 airline customers with 550 aircraft fitted (as of December 2017)

https://www.sitaonair.aero/products/on- ... ile-onair/

A quick search says among its customers are Aer Lingus, Etihad, Emirates, Malaysian, Turkish, Virgin Atlantic, SAS.

neomax wrote:

I will never understand why people are so hypocritical about talking on planes. People talk in the car, on the bus, on the train, in the office, yet all of a sudden, do it on a plane and you’re the worst person alive.

Probably mows his lawn at 8am on a Sunday.

Its a result of these unlimited plans ...

I say allow calls in a secluded area if you REALLY MUST ..... but charging $10 per minute will make them brief

Per June 2018 published consumer survey here is passengers views on the possibility of using cell phones on board in future.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... hone-links

For US, 48% consumers want it to be allowed. Some nations like India and China are 70%+ in favor of inflight phone usage.

To me the problem is not that someone uses the phone. An airplane is noisy enough that another conversation isn’t going to bother me. The problem is that people forget that the phone uses radios and amplifiers to transmit the call. People shout like they are trying to be heard 6,000 miles away. If everybody used a headset and spoke in a normal tone of voice there wouldn’t be so much resentment. Also they should keep their calls brief.

ro1960 wrote:

"Congress could consider revising its ban in the future to permit calls made with muffling devices or from private booths installed on board”

I wonder how much airlines would charge for the use of phone booths since they would have to be installed where you now have seats. Unless they remove one more toilet or make them even smaller.

I can also envision some passengers using a lav. as their private phone booth, hogging it for half an hour while other passengers who need to 'go' must wait even longer. Let's just keep the phones shut off for the duration of the flight please!

And to think that there used to be payphones on airplanes...