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CELL PHONES in use by others during plane flight...Keep the Ban? Lift the Ban? |
Travel Info Ok, here's the scenario... you've boarded a flight that's going to take a few hours and your neighbor is already talking on his/her cell phone... wait, there's another passenger on one...and then another and you're the "captive audience" that's subjected to listening to this end of the conversation. There has been an FAA ban against CELL PHONE usage on planes since 2004 (due to concerns over interference with navigational and communications systems). SHOULD THE BAN BE LIFTED OR KEPT IN PLACE? The story: http://www.cnn.com/2007/travel/04/03/cel... Travel Tips Personally, I like the ban and not necessarily for safety reasons. It just would be annoying to listen to that many conversations going on at the same time. Others There are 3 different issues brought up by your question - 1) the question itself is the captive audience issue, 2) the FAA's ban which is for technical reasons, and 3) the CNN article which is about the FCC's (not FAA's) ban, for other technical reasons. Since the scenario you paint concerns the captive audience issue, I'll address this. If there existed a ban on cellphone use on a plane that is on the ground for non-technical reasons, i.e., the captive audience reason, I would not support it if it were a 100% ban. There are compelling reasons to use a cellphone on a plane while it is on the ground, the most apparent being, if the flight is delayed for an hour or more, wouldn't you want to be able to call your ride to let them know? I can think of other, less-urgent reasons to use a phone on a plane that I would put up with, too. However, I'd support a "soft ban" where it is acknowledged that cellphone use is discouraged, but allowed within limits, and that if passengers complain about the excessive use by another passenger, the flight attendants can take action, such as ordering the passenger to stop, confiscating the phone if necessary (and even ejecting a passenger if s/he becomes unruly). Alot of people complain about cellphone use, but it is just a consequence (one of the more annoying ones) of how Americans communicate with each other in public. People are used to speaking in normal - even loud - voices in public, and it's generally considered acceptable. People clapping during opportune moments during a film is normal, but now, people often talk back to the screen, making comments for their neighbors to hear. I find this annoying, but some people are amused and laugh in response. In this kind of culture, is it a surprise that people are oblivious to the annoyance created by their public cellphone conversations, and don't automatically lower their speaking volume? If we are going to make a societal judgment against public cellphone use, how about also loud conversations in public? So... ultimately I think there should be some kind of "soft ban" on cellphone use for the benefit of the captive audience. But whether this should be applied in other areas goes to what kind of noise we find acceptable from our neighbors in public spots, cellphone-related or not. Sorry I went a bit off subject.... Unless you are flying within (appx) 500ft of the ground, you will not get a signal on 99% of mobile phones. I have been on both commercial and private planes and have tested Verizon, Nextel (phone and walkie-talkie), and Cingular and have not be able to initiate a call nor carry-on a conversation from the ground above 500 fett or so. Unless you have a phone with an extremely powerful booster and battery, it won't work in the air 1st hand knowledge The ban if for cell phones while in flight, not cell phone usage while on the ground delayed. On most airlines you can still make phone calls up to just before take off and right after you land. You can make phone calls while in the air depending on your cell phone, technology it uses (Digital vs. Analog, GSM frequency, etc..), and where you are. During 9/11 people were making phone calls from the air, you can do it. I would hate it if they allowed cell phones in the air. There is no escape. With air travel stressful as it is already, cell phone use while flying would only make it worse. |
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