The U.S. Department of Transportation this week began
soliciting public comments on a straightforward question: Should the government
lift a ban on inflight cell phone calls?
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
was the full response from one commenter. It was representative of many public
submissions that implored the federal government to keep the ban intact. Here's
another: "NO WAY! This is a horrible idea!"
As of midday Wednesday, more than 99 percent of the 492
comments filed this week encouraged DOT to maintain the ban. Only 12 commenters
were in favor of allowing inflight calls, with an additional three submissions suggesting
lifting the ban but with caveats.
Some commenters were anonymous, some identified themselves
as frequent travelers and others claimed to be flight attendants or pilots, but
virtually all were united in opposition.
In addition, many shared what they viewed to be a
deteriorating inflight experience that only would be exacerbated by phone
talkers. Many others commented on what they viewed as widespread erosion of
etiquette, onboard and off.
"As a regular business flyer, I find the current state
of the plane environment to be stressful, uncomfortable and confusing,"
wrote Fred Bruno. "Permitting the use of cell phones by passengers would
only increase this level of discomfort and add a truly annoying activity within
a confined space. Obviously, I am against allowing cell phone usage on
aircraft."
"In a cattle-car environment of economy class, voice
calls will make an already unpleasant experience unbearable," noted one
anonymous commenter.
To some, allowing calls inflight would pose a safety hazard,
as it could lead to passenger altercations and interfere with crew
instructions.
"This is a safety issue because someone is going to
punch someone for talking too loudly," commented Nathanael Bray. One
anonymous commenter noted that "people already argue about seat backs and
tray tables and paying for food."
One commenter identified as a flight attendant indicated
it's hard enough to share safety and other relevant flight information with
passengers. It only would get harder if flyers were on phones.
Patrick Obregon, meanwhile, didn't view the question as
"a safety issue so much as a social contract and common decency issue."
Among the very few in favor of lifting the ban, the
prevailing rationale was that airlines, not the federal government, should make
the determination.
"As it stands now, cell phones are not banned in
similar situations on other forms of transportation, and it seems to be an
unreasonable intrusion into the freedom of both the airlines and their
passengers for the government to ban their use," according to Matthew
Walters.
"I believe that voice calls should be allowed on
aircraft," noted Jason Rabinowitz. "Many airlines across the world
have had this feature for years with not a single recorded instance of abuse or
passenger fights."
The Points Guy, a frequent flyer blogger, identified
a number of international airlines that allow phone calls, at least on some flights.
An Emirates executive, for example, previously told BTN that its allowance of inflight
calls was not disruptive to other passengers. Even so, some U.S. airlines
including Delta and Southwest indicated they're not interested in enabling inflight
phone calls—with or without a ban.
While opposed to onboard phone calls, quite a few commenters
were in favor of enabling inflight texting.
"Data access is fine," noted Brian Thorn,
"but I don't want to listen to Joe Hotshot Businessman talking about his
latest deal, nor do I want to listen to Teenybopper Suzie talk about the last
totally rad party she just attended."
A few were in favor of lifting the ban, but with various conditions.
One recommended allowing phone calls as long as they don't
interfere with avionics and if "flight attendants are [allowed] to
confiscate a cell phone" if a passenger is disruptive. Another was in
favor of allowing inflight calls for select periods of flights, perhaps
"only during the last portion for when it might be more urgent to arrange
ground transport, etc."
DOT on Monday issued its advance notice of proposed
rulemaking, and through March 26 is "seeking comment on the effects and
implications of adopting a rule to ban voice communications on passengers'
mobile wireless devices on flights within, to and from the United States."
That public feedback initiative is in response to a U.S. Federal
Communications Commission proposal that if adopted would revise its current
"prohibition on the use of cellular telephones" onboard aircraft.