Business travelers have come to value the dwindling moments when they can disconnect from the office. One of the last places where it can happen is about to go away.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Communications Commission will propose rules that will allow passengers to use their mobile phones aboard airplanes. Phone calls would still be restricted during takeoff and landing, but people could start chatting as soon as a plane’s altitude is above 10,000 feet.
Word of the proposed rules, which will require a comment period, comes just weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the use of mobile devices for virtually the entire flight. The F.A.A. couldn’t rule on actual phone calls, because their jurisdiction falls to the F.C.C.
Flight attendants, who successfully fought a proposal in 2004 to allow cell phone calls on planes, aren’t happy at the F.C.C.’s latest try. In a statement, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said the FCC should reject the rule.
“Flight Attendants, as first responders and the last line of defense in our nation’s aviation system, understand the importance of maintaining a calm cabin environment,” the union said, according to Politico. “Any situation that is loud, divisive, and possibly disruptive is not only unwelcome but also unsafe.”
That earlier effort drew 8,000 complaints to the F.C.C. But the proposal was made before the advent of most smartphones, such as the iPhone. Some European and Asian carriers allow the use of mobile phones on board. And you might remember the days of expensive air phone calls (those devices installed in the back of the seat, which you activated with a credit card).
The proposal could create a split among air carriers, if not a revolt by peace-and-quiet loving passengers.
Delta Air Lines said it won’t approve mobile phone calls, even if the F.C.C. does, because customer feedback has been overwhelmingly against the idea. But JetBlue Airways said the time had come to reevaluate the policy.
The prospect of cell phone conversations poses the question: could airlines create quiet sections, like the quiet cars on Amtrak? It might be one more opportunity for them to assess a new fee, on top of the $27 billion in fees they collected last year. Want to sit in a no-calls section — or on a no-calls flight? How much would you be willing to pay for that?
From www.forbes.com
