Talk Of Banning Cell Phones During Flight
by Maggie Delvue
http://www.flightwork.com
Everywhere you look people have their cell phone next to
their ear; cell phones have become indispensable to modern
humans worldwide. Anyone who travels for business purposes
understands the convenience and necessity of having a cell
phone readily available for contact with clients and
co-workers as well as tending to the needs of the family.
Even though modern people everywhere seem to have a love
affair with their cell phone, cell phones are considered a
nuisance in places where people appreciate a quieter
ambiance, such as in a restaurant. While a restaurant is a
place conducive to conversation among patrons, cell phone
use in a restaurant is annoying to customers and finer
dining establishments request that cell phones be turned
off.
One other arena that is currently off limits to cell phone
use is onboard an aircraft in flight as well as during
pre-flight preparation since the use of a cell phone may
interfere with flight navigation systems. As soon as the
cell phone restriction is lifted at the end of the flight,
a high percentage of passengers flip open their cell phones
much like people used to light up a cigarette when smoking
was permitted. For many business travelers, being out of
touch with their ongoing transactions for hours on end
during an extended flight is a handicap in today's
real-time marketplace.
The Association of Flight Attendants and the National
Consumers League got together in April 2005 to conduct an
opinion poll among consumers on lifting the ban on using
cell phones during flight. The poll was a response
to the FCC's (Federal Communications Commission) recent
actions aimed at lifting the ban on cell phone use during
flight. Interestingly, sixty-three percent of air
passengers surveyed were in favor of keeping the
restrictions in place.
The opinion poll also addressed issues that were of
concern to the flight attendants: keeping the attention of
passengers in the event of emergency announcements, the
chance of terrorists coordinating onboard plans by cell
phone, and possible interference with navigational
equipment. When these scenarios were explained to the
people surveyed, around eighty percent of air passengers
favored retention of the ban on cell phone use during
flight.
The flight attendants also fear the possibility of "air
rage" while in flight. In order to increase profitability,
commercial airliners have decreased the amount of space per
passenger. With increased security measures that require
passengers to remain in their seats during the flight,
passengers must sit in close quarters for hours at a time.
Since 9/11, airliners are significantly quieter, and
perhaps tenser, than in the past. Flight attendants feel
that opening up the opportunity for annoyance through the
use of cell phones may cause significant disruption to
passengers and result in increases in "air rage."
At the current time, the issue of cell phone use during
flight is in the hands of the FCC decision-makers. The
Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) represents 46,000
members at 26 airlines; for more information about the AFA,
visit their web site at www.afanet.org.
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