Cellphone Use On Planes Coming Soon?

s31523 writes "A while back it was reported that cell phone use was given the OK on Emirate airlines. The BBC is now reporting European agencies back the use of cell phones in air. Plans have been developed to introduce technology that allow cell phone use on planes without any risk of interference. A spokesman for the UK regulator Ofcom said there were still many stages to pass through before final approval was given to the roll out of the plans, but the regulator said that the technology could be implemented next year."

Comments

Let me be the first to say

[Lordrashmi]

DEAR GOD NO!!!!

Re:Let me be the first to say

[suv4x4]

DEAR GOD NO!!!!

Right, so predictable. I see it now, 80% of the comments talking about how annoying some teen will be talking for hours to his friends on the plane.

Don't forget the crying babies rant, and the fat guys who don't buy two seats rant.

Here's the thing: those rants are quickly becoming more annoying than the actual problems.

It's about time some common sense is applied to the problem and cell phones are allowed as they should be. If some guy next to you is annoying, just ask him nicely to not be.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[suv4x4]

I agree with you in general that politely asking someone not to do something that is annoying usually works.

What does being "irrational jackass" have to do with cellphones. I don't want it to be encouraged to be "irrational jackass", since you can be such without a cellphone as well.

And neither is allowing cellphones in any way allowing people to be irrational jackasses. If stewardess can halt the flight because of a kid that says "Buy buy plane", I'm sure there will be enough arsenal left to deal with extreme cases.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[suv4x4]

My last flight we had someone who couldn't get a particular movie to play on the (obviously cheap) entertainment system. It was an old movie and (in my opinion) not very good but they kept complaining until the pilot decided to reset the system just to shut the guy up. After the reset he was fine, his movie played. Everyone else started getting random movies and the sound system didn't work but he was quite happy with himself. Add that to the multiple people swinging their luggage about without care while we were on the ground, the guy who went and got something out of his luggage when we were on the final runway, and the person who complained about the food and the trip was a quite unpleasant 9+ hours. Now add on someone talking on a cell phone for the entire trip, they don't even have to be that loud but they, or someone else, is always talking. Tell me, do you want to fly on that airplane?

Imagine a war. The field is full of mines, airplanes throwing bombs on your head, the enemy shooting you with automatic guns, tanks approaching. And now add to this severe itch in your behind. Would you want to be in this war?

But despite your straw man argument: the discussion here isn't "allow annoying people" or "disallow annoying people". It's about cellphones. Cellphones ban won't solve the issue with the annoying guy who caused reset of the entertainment system, or people swinging baggage, or complaining about the food.

Don't extrapolate the issue to fantastical dimensions. It could be as easy as the captain saying to the passengers to avoid unnecessary conversations, and keep the necessary short. If someone is loud and annoying the stewardess could still make notice of this to him/her.