Fight the mobile phone invasion at 30,000ft

Financial Times ^ | 3/28/2006 | Jagdish Bhagwati

[mvpel]

What a freak this guy is. He's been in his ivory tower way too long.

[TommyDale]

Rude people who talk loudly on their cell phones should always be told that they are rude, whether they are in an airplane at 30,000 feet or in a restaurant. People who let their phones ring loudly and disrupt others are boors. I have always wanted to see someone yank the phone from their hand, and throw it onto the floor and stomp it into a million pieces.

[whitedog57]

I agree 100%. The cellphones in the American Airlines Admiral's Clubs are so distracting with people screaming into them like they are talking through a can with string attached to another can. Then, while we are seated, the endless cellphone calls (usually people just killing time LOUDLY).

Once airborn, I would like quiet to work or sleep. Most people show little consideration on their cellphones, so we cannot rely on expectations of good behavior.

I will change airlines to whatever airline bans cellphones in the air.

[safisoft]

I laugh everytime I read one of these whinning pieces about cell phones in aircraft. The simply truth is, they will only work for about 5 minutes before landing or about 3 minutes after takeoff.

Next time you fly, turn your cell phone on you moron - see? No signal. Sheesh.

[kerryusama04]

I'm in the air twice a week. Being able to communicate with the ground is what let Todd Beamer "roll". Being able to do my expenses and email on the plane would let me spend more time with my family. Yes, Americans are going to abuse the priviledge, but some of us can benefit from it.

[1066AD]

Allowing cel phones on planes could lead to violence. I hope it's never permitted except perhaps via some sound proof enclosure.

[SALChamps03]

I for one will be glad when all the cell phone whining ends. Cell phones are here to stay. Get used to it people.

[tellw]

Didn't Todd Beamer use a GTE airphone in the seatback, not his personal cell phone to make the call? Those are reasonable to have in place for an emergency. They don't receive calls (so no rings) and the calls are expensive enough ($4 to connect, $4 for the first minute) that most people don't use them.

[Huck]

People are so obnoxious with their cell phones. I can totally see people seated in one section of the plane calling a friend/sibling/coworker seated elsewhere on the same friggin plane.

[Kieri]

I've only been on a plane a handful of times in my life (my last time was September 9, 2001 on my way back from NYC), but I can appreciate being trapped with an abundance of noise! I have a cell phone but I hate it, and my carrying one was with the provision that we dump our landline phone. THAT was a decision I've never regretted.

I am a very content rural-dweller. The loudest thing in the neighborhood is my neighbor's donkey, who "laughs" at the strangest times. I appreciate the "off" button on the TV, and we only have one of those.

I love my laptop precisely because it IS quiet. I can do things easily and conveniently, and the only noise is the tapping of the keys. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[tellw]

Given the uncertainty of safety of these devices, their ability to work in the 5 minutes after takeoff and 5 minutes before landing is no comfort.

[LIConFem]

"Rude people who talk loudly on their cell phones should always be told that they are rude, whether they are in an airplane at 30,000 feet or in a restaurant."

Yet no one ever says a word to the rude people who talk loudly while NOT on their cell phone. But whip out that phone and say "Hi" to granny, and the self-righteous whiners will hit the ceiling.

[cheme]

If you have a good earphone the conversation should be no louder than with a fellow passenger. If you travel and plan to talk in a loud environment I recommend custom made earphones.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Didn't Todd Beamer use a GTE airphone in the seatback, not his personal cell phone to make the call?

However, I believe Ted Olson's wife (forgot her name) did use a cell phone from the back of her plane, where she and her fellow passengers had been herded by the hijackers.

Given how loud passenger cabins are anyway, I can't see any reason to prohibit cell phones on planes.

[linda_22003]

It's bad enough on trains. I have no idea why people scream into cells, or why they have no concept that what should be their private business is being heard by everyone.

A few years ago, a woman behind me on the Metroliner to New York was getting some work done on her beach house, making appointments on her cell phone. By the end of half an hour, I knew where her house was, where she kept the keys to it, what days she would and would not be there, and two of her credit card numbers. I could have taken over her whole life and she would never have been able to figure out how her identity - and a lot of her belongings - got stolen.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

The cell phone curse is all around me when I am out and about. You see/hear them at the Mall, Restaurants, while driving, movie theaters, gas stations, at airports. Having them on airplanes in flight is just another place without refuge. The younger generation seems to believe that the need to answer a cell phone call in a theater or restaurant always overrides others right to privacy or quiet.

In one respect, I suppose a person talking on a cell phone is not much different than a person talking to another person in the same location, except that the conversation always seems to be more noticeable. Aside from that many restaurants now insist on having TVs on (usually on sports) encouraging more noise.

Technology is great, but people are generally less polite, more aggressive and show less respect for others. Manners are a thing of the past.

[Blueflag]

Did Todd Beamer use his cell phone at 10,000 feet? or the airphone?

Inquiring minds want to know, cuz cell phone towers radiate and orient EMF laterally, not vertically.

[kerryusama04]

I don't know what phone Todd Beamer used, but the plane was low enough that people got to use their personal phones. Right now, cell towers point down at an angle so nobody gets a signal over 5000 feet or so. A couple companies are working on repeators to allow cell phones to work at any altitude. Some planes have directv receivers already. Having live news and communication with the ground should be considered security. Arming the pilots would be nice, too.

[sam_paine]

Being able to do my expenses and email on the plane would let me spend more time with my family.

Neither of these are loud and obnoxious as cell phones. (Though I admit....doing expense reports IS obnoxious to the doer!)